College Hoops: Overmatched Rhody Falls to #5 Arizona 87-59
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Nick Johnson scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists as the Arizona Wildcats cruised to an 87-59 victory over the Rhode Island Rams Tuesday night in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off Event in Tucson, Arizona.
With the win, the #5 nationally ranked Wildcats advance to the Final 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York City next week. URI will play 2 consolation games next week in the friendly confines of the Ryan Center in Kingston.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTXavier Munford led all scorers with 22 points for the Rams, but Arizona’s length and athleticism smothered the paint area and forced Rhody to take contested perimeter shots for most of the night.
Both teams were sloppy in the early going, but Arizona closed the 1st half strong, outscoring URI 33-13 over the final 11 minutes. At the intermission the Rams had made just 7 field goals and committed 8 turnovers. Arizona led 43-19 at the break.
The Rams showed some signs of life in the 2nd half, getting to the rim more often and taking higher percentage shots than in the 1st half. Arizona maintained control throughout however, with Johnson leading the charge as one of 4 players in double figures for the Cats.
Brandon Ashley had 16 points for the Wildcats, who shot 59% from the floor (and 44% from 3-point range) versus the Rams’ 37% (and 17% from 3). Arizona also outrebounded URI 39-25 and had 19 assists to the Rams’ 6.
Biggie Minnis had 9 points and 3 assists for Rhody, continuing his improved stretch of play. Freshman scoring leader E.C. Matthews struggled against the heightened competition, finishing with 3 points on 0-6 shooting.
With the loss, URI falls to 3-2 overall on the season. Their next game is at home this Saturday at 2 p.m. against UMass Lowell.
