FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 10, 2008

Rhode Island College Men’s Basketball Score Report

Providence, RI

1

2

Final

Framingham State (5-8)

40

43

83

Rhode Island College (10-2)

48

49

97

ANCHORMEN OUTLAST RAMS, 97-83
Johnson Logs Fourth Double-Double as RIC Earns 10^th Win

            Providence, RI—Rhode Island College held off a feisty Framingham State squad, 97-83, in a hard-fought contest this evening at The Murray Center. The Anchormen improve to 10-2, winning their 12^th straight home contest, while the Rams fall to 5-8. RIC wins for the seventh time in its last eight games.

The Anchormen struggled defensively for a majority of the game and FSC made RIC pay for it. After opening the game with a 9-2 lead, RIC fell victim to a 10-0 Ram run to trail, 12-9 with 12 minutes left in the first stanza. The Anchormen quickly regained the lead, 14-12, on a sophomore guard Carlos Brown (Lawrence, MA) jumper and a junior guard Justin Lopez (Providence, RI) three-pointer.

The teams traded baskets with Rhode Island College holding a 36-35 lead with 3:59 left. The host’s closed out the half on a 12-5 run, culminating with a freshman guard Anthony Fortes (East Providence, RI) jumper as the Anchormen went into the first intermission holding an eight point, 48-40, advantage.

 RIC Junior Guard Tirrell Hill

Framingham State came out of the gates smoking in the second half, embarking on a 20-7 run to take a 60-55 lead on two sophomore guard Darius Yarrell (Brockton, MA) free throws with 13:26 left to go. RIC battled back to tie the game, 62-62, on a junior guard Cameron Stewart (Newport, RI) three-pointer with 10:47 left.

The contest was tied, 73-73, with 7:26 on the clock before the Anchormen went on an impressive, 24-10, run to close out the game. The run was keyed by a RIC defense that stopped the Rams on three consecutive possessions.

RIC junior forward Kaseem Johnson (New Have, CT) logged his fourth double-double of the season, matching his season-high with 19 points and pulling in a season-best 16 rebounds. Junior guard Tirrell Hill (Bronx, NY) posted 19 points, including five three-pointers. Junior guard Bobby Bailey (Fall River, MA) filled up the box score with 11 points, seven rebounds, a game-high six assists and two steals. Stewart rounded the RIC contingent in double figures with 12 points and a career-high three blocks.

Framingham State sophomore forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, MA) and freshman forward Michael Hines (Boston, MA) led all scorers with 20 points apiece. Almodovar logged a double-double, chipping in with 10 boards.

RIC’s 97 points were the most scored in a game since the Anchormen recorded 107 in a victory over Mt. Ida on Nov. 18, 2005.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume Little East Conference action on Saturday, Jan. 12 at Plymouth State.

-end-