Jan. 10, 2007

Box Score

ST. LOUIS -- Will Daniels had 15 points and Jimmy Baron 14 as the Rams dropped their first conference game of the season, in a 62-58 loss at Saint Louis tonight.

URI got within one point after a Daniels layup with 25 seconds left, at 57-56. But Rhody would get no closer, as the Billikens sealed the game from the charity stripe.

"They (SLU) did a good job down the stretch, making their free throws and making plays." head coach Jim Baron said. "We had every opportunity to come back, were able to cut it to one, and that took a total team effort."

Despite shooting just 28.1% from the floor in the first half, Rhody closed the half on an 8-0 run, to take a 23-21 lead at the break. Saint Louis had led by as many as six points - 19-13 with 6:25 to go - as the Rams were held scoreless for close to seven minutes midway through the period. Daniels led the squad with seven points, while Kahiem Seawright added six in the first half.

"We didn't shoot the ball well, but the other elements were there." Baron said. "We did a good job on the glass and made a concerted effort to limit (Ian) Vouyoukas. He had hurt us in the past."

The standout center from SLU was held to just 11 points, five of which came from the free throw line.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second, before the Rams took a 35-31 lead with 12:33 remaining in regulation. SLU countered with an 11-3 run, capped by a Kevin Lisch three, to take the lead for good, at 42-38.

"It's a tough loss to take, we had it and then let it slip away." junior Will Daniels said. "We need to continue to get better on the road. But despite losing, I think we can take some positives from tonight and put it toward Saturday at Saint Joseph's."

For the game, Rhode Island shot 32.8% from the floor (19-58), including 25% from the perimeter (5-20). They were 15-for-21 from the charity stripe (71.4%) and outrebounded the Billikens, 43-39.

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Philadelphia to face Saint Joseph's at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live locally on Cox Sports Television, as part of the Atlantic 10 syndication schedule.

Fans can also tune into this - and every - URI game live on WHJJ 920 am and 99.3 The Bridge FM. The audio feed will also be live on the internet via Yahoo! Sports. Steve McDonald and URI Hall of Famer Don Kaull will call all the action for Rhode Island.

Notes: Kahiem Seawright had his fourth double-digit rebounding performance of the season, pulling down a game-high 11 boards...The 25% (5-20) shooting percentage from the perimeter was the second-lowest of the season. URI connected on just 5-of-21 in the season opener against Stonehill...Rhode Island outscored SLU, 24-12 in the paint...The game featured five ties and 14 lead changes...Jimmy Baron was 4-for-5 from the free throw line. The miss dropped Baron to 89.7% on the season - the first time he has been below 90% in his career.