Jan. 30, 2011

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. -- Delroy James scored 15 points and Marquis Jones added 10 but it was not enough as Rhode Island dropped a 64-54 decision at Massachusetts on Sunday at the Mullins Center.

James added team-highs of eight rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes of play. Jones added four assists and two steals - becoming just the fourth player in URI history to record 400 career assists and 140 career steals.

Rhody came out of the gates slow, allowing the Minutemen to race out to a 15-2 lead over the first six-plus minutes of the contest. However, the Rams would respond with an 18-5 run over the next 10 minutes, tying the ballgame with 3:13 left in the half after Jones made one of two from the charity stripe. A late deep 3-pointer by UMass near the end of the first half gave the home team a 25-22 advantage at the break.

In the second half, Akeem Richmond connected on a pair of 3-pointers, tying the game at 30-30 with 15:28 left in regulation. On the Rams' next possession, Nikola Malesevic added a pull up jumper from the right corner - giving URI its lone lead of the game (32-30) with 14:31 left.

From there, a combination of cold perimeter shooting and UMass' ability to get to the free throw line made it difficult for Rhode Island to pull away. The Rams shot just 3-of-18 from the outside over the final 14 minutes of play. The Minutemen held an 18-2 advantage in free throw attempts in the second half and a 27-8 edge throughout the game.

A trey from James at the 8:27 mark made cut the Rhody deficit to three points - 46-43 - with 8:27 remaining. But a 9-1 push over the next five minutes by UMass helped seal the victory.

Richmond added nine points (3-10 3FG), while Malesevic had seven and Ben Eaves five.

The Rams return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Thomas M. Ryan Center when they host Fordham in an Atlantic 10 matchup.

For tickets, visit ExperienceRhody.com or visit the Ryan Center box office.