FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2008

Rhode Island College Men’s Basketball Score Report

North Dartmouth, MA

The 2008 Little East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament
Championship Game

1

2

Final

^#2 Rhode Island College (22-6)

30

25

55

^#1 UMass Dartmouth (25-3)

24

28

52

ANCHORMEN WIN LEC FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
Bailey Tabbed M.O.P. as RIC Heads To NCAA Tournament

            North Dartmouth, MA—Rhode Island College junior guard Bobby Bailey (Fall River, MA) was named the Most Outstanding Player as the second-seeded Anchormen defeated top-seeded and tourney host UMass Dartmouth, 55-52, to capture the Championship Game of the 2008 Little East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Saturday evening at the Tripp Athletic Center.

The Anchormen are the LEC’s tourney champs for the second straight year and will head to the 2008 NCAA Div. III Men’s Basketball Tournament next weekend. RIC will find out when and where it will next see action when the tournament brackets are announced on Monday at noon.

 "Winning our second straight LEC Championship is really a special accomplishment for this team," Head Coach Bob Walsh said after the win. "With no seniors and only 5 returning players, this group really came a long way as far as trusting one another and sacrificing for each other.  In the end everyone stepped up and earned this championship."

 Juniors Kaseem Johnson, Cameron Stewart, Tirrell Hill and Bobby Bailey
accept the 2008 Little East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Trophy from Commissioner Jonathan Harper

Bailey logged 14 points, five boards, five assists, two steals and a block in the title contest. In the three LEC tournament games, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

 Junior Guard Bobby Bailey accepts the 2008 Little East Conference
Men's Basketball Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award
from Commissioner Jonathan Harper

Rhode Island College led virtually the entire game and held off a late rally by the Corsairs to secure the victory.

A layup by junior forward Zerimar Ramirez (Pawtucket, RI) with 8:26 remaining gave the Anchormen a 45-37 advantage. The Corsairs rallied, with freshman Brandon Stephens’ (Dorchester, MA) three-pointer cutting the gap to 49-46 with 2:18 to play, and another three-pointer by senior guard A.J. Tavares (New Bedford, MA) reducing the lead to 51-49 with 57 seconds remaining, but Bailey drove for a layup with 25 seconds left, Tavares missed from three-point range with 12 seconds remaining, and junior guard Cameron Stewart (Newport, RI) made two free throws with eight seconds left before Corsair sophomore forward Matt Walker (Brockton, MA) hit a three-pointer just before time expired.

Senior center Dan Holbrook (Lexington, MA) led the Corsairs with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Stephens added 12 points. Bailey and freshman guard Anthony Fortes (East Providence, RI) each scored 14 points to lead Rhode Island College. Junior forward Kaseem Johnson (New Haven, CT) grabbed eight rebounds as the Anchormen outrebounded the Corsairs, 38-36, and won despite committing 28 turnovers. UMass Dartmouth was held to 32.8 percent from the field for the game and made eight of 18 free throws.

The Corsairs suffer just their third loss of the season, two of which have come at the Anchormen’s hands.

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