Dec. 3, 2006

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island junior guard Safi Mojidi tallied 16 points and four assists to garner all-tournament honors, but it was the host Bears holding off the Rams, 66-62, in the consolation game of the Brown Invitational, Sunday, in Providence.

Rhode Island built a 13-point lead, 49-36, at 9:49 of the second half on a Mojidi lay-up, but would let the Bears back in the game with a 17-4 run over the next 6:23 to tie the score at 53-53 with 3:55 to play.

"I thought Brown did a good job of adjusting when they got down in the second half," said head URI coach Tom Garrick. "They were able to find openings in our defense and exploit them. I'm surprised and disappointed we couldn't find a way to adjust against a team that we had a lot of favorable matchups with."

A jumper by sophomore forward Sierra Cooper, who finished with six points and a team-best six rebounds, gave the Rams a 55-53 lead at 3:26. The Bears would take the lead, 58-55 lead with 2:27 to play after a 5-0 run capped by a lay-up by senior forward Ashley King-Bischof, who finished with a game-high 17 points to go along with eight boards.

A jumper by freshman guard Lindsey Harris brought URI within a point, 58-57, at 2:10 but the Bears would outscore the Rams, 8-5, the rest of the way to clinch the wins. Brown finished 18-of-27 from the free throw line, but was a perfect 6-for-6 in the final two minutes.

"Another lesson we need to learn is how to close a game out," continued Garrick. "We have such a young team, we just need to stay focused on finding ways to get better and keep learning as we go."

Brown out-rebounded URI, 47-31, including a 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass.

Rhode Island heads to Chicago to take on Illinois at 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 9. The game is scheduled to be played in the United Center.