Dec. 1, 2007

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KINGSTON, R.I. -- Joe Mbang tied his career-high with 22 points, leading five Rams in double figures, as Rhode Island held off New Hampshire, 87-76, at the Ryan Center this afternoon.

The senior connected on his first eight shots from the floor, finishing at 8-for-9 for the game - marking the fifth-best single-game shooting performance in URI history. Kenny Green's 10-for-10 night versus George Washington on Jan. 18, 1988 tops the list.

New Hampshire came out of the gate with a hot shooting hand from outside, connecting on its first four shots - including three trifectas. The Wildcats would lead by as many as 11 points, at 18-7, just 4:58 into the ballgame.

"It's a pattern we've had all season," said Kahiem Seawright, who tallied his second double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. "We've started off slow and once you know it, we're down. But once our offense gets going, we flip it."

But the Rams would respond strong, scoring 15 unanswered points to take a 22-18 lead with 11:06 left in the half. Rhody would continue to put up points on the scoreboard in a hurry, extending its lead to as many as 22 points, after a Jimmy Baron three made it 49-27 with under a minute to go. They would lead 49-28 at the break, outscoring UNH, 42-10, over the last 15 minutes.

In the second half, Rhode Island would continue to shoot well from the floor. A layup by Mbang gave the squad its largest lead of the game at 23 points - 61-38 - with 13:35 to go in regulation.

New Hampshire would chip away at the Rhode Island lead midway through the second frame, outscoring the home team 29-16 and cutting the lead to just 10 points late (83-73, 2:29).

"We knew coming in that New Hampshire was a very good team. They have three wins, they played Boston College extremely tough," said head coach Jim Baron. "I thought they gave us everything they had. We need to do a better job defensively."

Mbang snapped an 0-for-17 slump from the outside, as he connected on 3-of-4 from long-range.

"I need to make a presence inside, but it's nice to shoot the ball like I'm used to," Mbang said.

Will Daniels and Parfait Bitee each tallied 14 points, while Jimmy Baron, who connected on 4-of-8 from the outside, registered 12 points.

For the game, URI shot 54.5% from the floor, including 10-of-24 from the perimeter (41.7%). The Rams knocked down 17-of-24 from the charity stripe (70.8%).

On Tuesday night, Rhode Island returns to action in its annual matchup versus Providence. Game time at the Ryan Center is set for 7 p.m.

A very limited number of tickets remain for the contest and can be purchased at the Ryan Center box office or by logging onto ticketmaster.com.

Cox Sports Television will broadcast the game live, with Don Coyne and Abu Bakr calling the action. Additionally, Steve McDonald and Don Kaull will provide the radio call live on WHJJ 920 AM and The Bridge 99.3 FM. The game can also be heard live on the internet, via Yahoo! Sports, and can be accessed via the audio/video links page on GoRhody.com.