URI Blows Out UMass, Now on to A-10 Playoffs
Sunday, March 10, 2019
URI is on a nice roll winning its fourth game in a row with a 94-75 blowout win over UMASS on senior day.
Rhode Island built a 29-point lead by halftime and coasted in the second half.
The Rams (16-14, 9-9 Atlantic 10) shot 77.4 percent (24-of-31) from the floor in the opening half. Fatts Russell continued his hot shooting and had 14 points, Cyril Langevine had 12 and Jeff Dowtin and Ryan Preston had eight points each as the balanced offense produced 54 points before the break. Russell finished with 27 points.
While UMass (11-19, 4-14 A-10) managed to score 50 in the second half, the Minutemen never truly challenged Rhody's lead. The Rams maintained a double-digit lead throughout, scoring 40 second-half points en route to their highest point total of the season. With the four straight victories, Rhode Island rides its longest winning streak of the year into the Atlantic 10 Championship.
URI Notes:
- The win secured Rhode Island's fifth straight winning season. It ties four the fourth-longest stretch of winning seasons in program history.
- URI's 54 first-half points were a season high for any half this season. Similarly, the Rams' 77.4 percent (24-31) first-half field goal percentage was a season-best.
- The Rams finished the game 68.4 percent from the field, also a season-high for shooting percentage.
- Rhode Island forced UMass into 17 turnovers and scored 29 points off those miscues. At the opposite end of the court, the Minutemen managed just six points off 10 Rhody turnovers.
- URI also held the advantage in steals (12-3), fast-break points (25-5) and points in the paint (52-26).
- Sophomore Fatts Russell registered a game-high 27 points, six steals and five assists.
- Junior Cyril Langevine finished with 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting. He also had 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Junior Jeff Dowtin recorded 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal.
- Senior Ryan Preston registered a career-high 12 points while adding six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
At halftime, the five members of the Rhode Island Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019 were introduced at midcourt. This year's inductees are former student-athletes Todd Hemenway (swimming and diving, '89), Bruce Morin (golf, '67), Erin Silvering Grey (cross country/track & field, '02) and Stanley Wright (basketball, '78), as well as longtime track coach and administrator Lauren Anderson.
Up Next
The Rams are back in action on Thursday afternoon, when they open play at the 2019 Atlantic 10 Championship in Brooklyn. Rhody will be the No. 8 seed and will take on No. 9 La Salle at noon.
