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RHODE ISLAND VS. YALE
* Today marks the 12th meeting between URI and Yale.
* The Bulldogs hold a slim 6-5 lead in the all-time series.
* The first meeting between the two schools came on Feb. 17, 1925 (26-13 loss)
* Rhody has captured the last two meetings, including a 73-59 decision on Jan. 7, 2004 in Kingston.
RHODE ISLAND IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
* Since joining the Eastern 8 in the 1980-81 season, URI has posted a 245-196 mark in non-conference play.
* Dating back to the 2006-07 season, the Rams have posted a 62-34 record versus out-of-conference opponents.
* Today's game marks the second of two matchups versus Ivy League opponents during the 2011-12 season.
'TIS THE SEASON FOR CHARITY
* Over its last two games, Rhode Island has connected on 83.0% of its attempts from the free throw line (34-41)
* Last time out at Georgia State, the Rams hit on 13-of-17 from the foul line
* Against Virginia Tech, the Rams connected on 21-of-24 from the charity stripe
* That was the best single-game FT% (min. 20 att) since Dec. 29, 2009 at Drexel, when URI was also 21-24 from the foul line
* During the two-game stretch, Nikola Malesevic was 8-for-8 from the line, while Mike Powell hit on 7-of-8 and Jamal Wilson 7-of-9.
WILSON MAKING MOST OF CHANCE ON THE COURT
* Senior guard Jamal Wilson ranks first on the Rams - and fourth in the A-10 - in scoring, at 17.5 points per game
* Through 10 games, Wilson has scored 175 points. He totalled 159 points as a sophomore and junior (45 games)
* Has 12 3-pointers made this year; nine career treys entering this season
* Has scored in double figures in eight of 10 games, including a career-high 38 in the season opener at George Mason
* Posted a double-double - 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds - versus Maine on Dec. 4.
TODAY'S RUNNIN' RAM FACT(S) YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
* This season, Jonathan Holton is shooting just under 42.0% from the floor, connecting on 36-of-86 shot attempts
* Inside the arc, Holton is 30-for-48 - good for a 62.5% clip. That percentage ranks him among the top 25 nationally in 2-pt. field goal percentage.
* Three other Rams are shooting better than 50.0% from 2-point land - Dominique McKoy (18-30, .600); Levan Shengelia (10-19, .526); Nikola Malesevic (30-53; .509).
* Orion Outerbridge is just under the 50.0% mark - connecting on 45-of-91, good for 49.5%.
NOW TRENDING: ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO
*Through the Runnin' Rams first 10 games, they have posted more assists than turnovers once - the lone win vs. Hofstra on Nov. 25.
*Last season, in games with a positive assist/turnover ratio, Rhody was 12-3.
* URI is averaging 15.9 turnovers, while dishing out 11.7 assists per game.
LAST TIME OUT - GEORGIA STATE 96, RHODE ISLAND 64 (DEC. 10)
* Rhode Island led 15-13 with 12:37 left in the first half before Georgia State scored 14 unanswered points en route to a 28-8 run which put the game out of reach.
* Georgia State connected on 54.8% of its shots from the floor – the sixth Rhody opponent to shoot 50.0% or better
* Jamal Wilson led the Rams with 20 points – his third game with 20+ points – and eighth game in double-figures.
* Head coach Jim Baron again shuffled the starting lineup, as T.J. Buchanan, Anthony Malhoit, and Rayvon Harris earned the nod in the first five.
* Buchanan – who missed the Virginia Tech with an injury – had two points and two assists in 18 minutes before re-injuring his ankle.
* Harris was also solid – scoring six points in 13 minutes. The Raleigh, N.C. native knocked down 4-of-5 from the charity stripe and also blocked a shot.
* Atlanta native Dominique McKoy had one of his best games in his early career. The 6-7 forward had seven points (3-5 FG) and five rebounds in 25 minutes.
OVERTIME
* Rhode Island has played in two overtime games through the first eight contests - the most since 1983-84.
* That year, Rhody opened the season with an overtime loss at Canisius while dropping a decision at home to Rutgers in the fourth game.
* This year, in both OT contests, a freshman tied the game with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation (Jonathan Holton at George Mason; Mike Powell vs. Maine)
HOLTON NAMED ATLANTIC 10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
* On Nov. 28, the Atlantic 10 selected Jonathan Holton as its Rookie of the Week
* The 6-9 forward averaged 12.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 blocked shots in a 1-2 weekend for the Rams
* Against Hofstra, Holton recorded a season-best 20 points (8-13 FG), while adding six rebounds and two blocks
* The Miami, Fla. native added nine points and seven boards against Boston University, while chipping in with seven points and six rebounds against Cleveland State.
DEFENSIVE WOES
* The Runnin' Rams rank tied for 329th out of 339 in scoring defense, allowing 80.0 points per game.
* Rhode Island is also 337th in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot 50.4% from the floor
* URI is 238th in defensive 3-point field goal percentage, as the opposition is connecting on 35.3% from the perimeter
FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT
* Jonathan Holton ranks 12th among all frosh nationally in rebounding, pulling down 7.0 boards per game
* Mike Powell is tied for 24th among all frosh in assists per game (3.5).
* Rhody's newcomers account for 34% of the team's scoring, 37% of rebounding, and 61% of assist totals.
MALHOIT "THE MICROWAVE"
* Senior Anthony Malhoit made an impact off the bench in his first action of the season vs. Hofstra on Nov. 25.
* The 6-3 guard had a career-high seven points in 12 minutes, connecting on his first career 3-pointer.
* The senior guard also added five rebounds and two steals against the Pride.
* Versus Cleveland State (Nov. 27), Malhoit had a career-high six rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
HEY, MR. WILSON
* Senior Jamal Wilson poured in a career-high 38 points (13-22 FG; 11-12 FT) at George Mason on Nov. 11.
* Wilson had nine in the first half, 20 in the second half, and nine in the overtime period.
* He bested his previous career-high of 14 points - set twice.
* It took Wilson, who missed the first 14 games of the 2010-11 season with a broken foot, 10 games to register 38 points last year.
* It was the highest point total by a Rhode Island player since Zach Marbury had 38 vs. La Salle on Jan. 27, 2001.
JAMAL WILSON NAMED ATLANTIC 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
* After his 38-point performance at George Mason on Nov. 11, Wilson earned his first career A-10 honor on Nov. 14.
* Senior guard was 13-22 from the floor and 11-12 from the foul line, while also grabbing seven boards.
* Wilson's 38-point game is the second highest single-game scoring total in the nation, as of Dec. 3.
THE FRANTIC FIVE
* Rhody's five-player freshman class had its regular season debut on Nov. 11 at George Mason.
* Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal dubbed them the "Frantic Five" due to the Runnin' Rams uptempo style
* Jonathan Holton and Mike Powell each cracked the starting lineup, while TJ Buchanan, Rayvon Harris, and Dominique McKoy all saw action off the bench.
* Powell became the first true freshman to start for the Rams as a pure point guard since Tyson Wheeler in 1994-95.
* Holton's 14 boards tied the highest rebounding total in a URI debut since Lamar Odom had 14 vs. TCU (Nov. 9, 1998)
* Additionally, Holton and Odom are the only two Rhody players to record a double-double in points and rebounds in their Rhody debuts. Holton had 12 points and 14 boards; Odom 19 points and 14 rebounds.
RHODY EMBARKS ON CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
* Rhody's six opponents in the month of November - Mason, Texas, Nebraska, Hofstra, Boston Univ., and Cleveland State - combined for 143 wins a season ago and six postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 2 NIT, 1 CBI)
* Nine of the 15 teams the Runnin' Rams will face in the non-conference slate won 21 or more games
* 10 of the 15 made postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 4 NIT, 3 CBI).
* The average RPI (2010-11 final) for URI's non-conference opponents is 109.8. Nine of Rhody's foes were among the top 100, three were top 50, and two (George Mason and Texas) were among the RPI's top 25 a season ago.
* 10 different conferences are represented in Rhody's non-conference slate: America East (Boston Univ., Maine); ACC (Boston College, Va. Tech); Atlantic Sun (Stetson); Big Ten (Nebraska); Big 12 (Texas); Big East (Providence); CAA (George Mason, Hofstra, Georgia State, James Madison); Conference USA (UCF); Horizon (Cleveland State); Ivy (Brown, Yale)
* This year marks the first time that the Rams have played three true road games to start a season since the 1992-93 season. That year, URI opened at Fordham, Eastern Michigan, and Providence.
RHODY RELEASES RECORD TELEVISION SCHEDULE FOR 2011-12
* Rhode Island will make a record 23 regular season television appearances - including all 15 home games - during the 2011-12 season.
* It is the most comprehensive television slate in program history and ranks second behind Xavier for the most TV games in the Atlantic 10 this year.
Cox Sports - the exclusive home of Runnin' Rams basketball - will produce and air 13 of the Runnin' Rams games.
* All games produced and aired by Cox can also be seen live on the web via Cox Sports Online.
* The Runnin' Rams will make six national television appearances: at Texas (ESPN), at Nebraska (Big Ten Network), at Boston College (ESPN3), Richmond (CBS Sports), Temple (ESPN), at Xavier (CBS Sports)
THE DISTRIBUTION SOLUTION
During the 2010-11 season, the Runnin' Rams found success when they shared the basketball. URI was 3-6 when dishing out less than 10 assists; 9-5 when registering 10-14 assists; and 8-2 when recording 15 or more assists in a single game.
NEXT UP: PROVIDENCE (DEC. 23)
* Rhode Island and Providence will play for the 124th time in the history of the two schools
* The Friars hold a 67-56 lead in the all-time series, which began on Dec. 7, 1920 (87-25 win)
* Providence won, 87-74, last season at the Dunkin Donuts Center (Dec. 4)
* The home team has won the last eight matchups, dating back to the 2003-04 season
* The Friars are 0-4 in the Thomas M. Ryan Center.
* The game can be seen live on Cox Sports HD, with Eric Frede, Abu Bakr, and Vin Parise beginning at 7 p.m.
* Rhody fans can listen to the game live on the Beltone Hearing Aid Centers Rams Radio Network (B101 -101.5 FM), with Steve McDonald and Don Kaull. This - and all Rhody games on radio - can be heard on the internet or your iPhone/Blackberry/Android device with the iHeartRadio app. Download the app at: iHeart.com