With Odom in Attendance, URI Rebounds with Win over UMass Lowell 79-68
Saturday, November 23, 2013
KINGSTON, RI-- Sometimes a little home cooking is the best medicine. There’s certainly a lot if that going on around the University of Rhode Island these days.
The Arizona-trip hangover didn’t last long in the news this week as local folk hero Lamar Odom made his return to Rhode Island to begin training for a prospective return to the NBA. The 4th overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft is working out with Hendricken alumnus and NBA “super trainer” Rob McClanaghan and has been spotted all over campus, including at Saturday’s game.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTXavier Munford scored 16 points to lead the team, and also grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 6 assists as URI won 79-68 Saturday against UMass Lowell.
The win moves URI to 4-2 on the season. UML is now 0-5 in their inaugural season as a Division 1 program.
E.C. Matthews scored 15 points off the bench for Rhody, and T.J. Buchanan brought the energy and production the Rams desperately needed in an 11 point, 4 rebound performance.
The Rams won the assist battle 15 to 5 and outrebounded the River Hawks 35-30. URI Head Coach Dan Hurley was visibly upset with his team’s 2nd half defensive performance and wasn’t satisfied with the rebounding.
“I thought out forward defense was embarrassing,” said Hurley. “Rebounding at times was a fiasco, especially in the 2nd half.”
Rhody led 31-23 at the break and then shot 64% from the floor in the 2nd half, yet the River Hawks hung tough and refused to fade.
Chad Holley scored 23 points on 9-15 shooting for UML. Holley led all scorers, but despite his efforts the River Hawks couldn’t overcome the depth of the Rams. URI’s bench outscored the UML reserves 37-11.
A video package aired late in the 1st half, highlighting Odom’s game winning 3 pointer in the 1999 Atlantic 10 Championship Game. Odom received a standing ovation as he waved his thanks to the crowd. Also present from the 1999 team- the last URI team to win the conference- were Tavorris Bell, Ed Brown, and (as always) URI assistant coach Preston Murphy.
URI hosts 2 games Monday and Tuesday in the consolation round of the NIT Season tipoff Event. The Rams will play UNC Asheville on Monday night and McNeese State on Tuesday night.
Injury Notes
URI is even thinner than usual up front, as reserve big man Mike Aaman left the Arizona game at halftime Tuesday night and wound up undergoing an emergency appendectomy. I asked Hurley after the game if there was any set timetable for such a rare injury circumstance and he said he expected Aaman to be out for a maximum of 2 weeks, give or take a few days.
“Certainly his presence will be welcomed back,” said Hurley. “Mike’s been a productive player for us. And I think we need his grittiness and his toughness because that’s something that right now we aren’t exhibiting for 40 minutes.”
