Gamenotes: Rhode Island/Duquesne (.pdf)

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• Rhode Island travels to the Bronx to face Fordham in the first of two regular season matchups this year.  
• URI holds a 33-22 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to Jan. 3, 1942.  
• The Rhody Rams have won their last eight matchups against Fordham, dating back to March 8, 2007.
• Rhody is 15-13 all-time at Rose Hill Gym.
• Head coach Jim Baron is 24-9 all-time versus Fordham.  

RHODE ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE

• Since its inaugural season in the conference during the 1980-81 season, Rhode Island has posted a 228-271 (.457) all-time record in Atlantic 10 play.  
• Last season, Rhody finished with a 9-7 mark in conference play, good for sixth place in the league standings.
• Since the 2006-07 season, URI is 47-36 (.566) in league play.

HOLTON EARNS SECOND ATLANTIC 10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AWARD

• On Jan. 16, Jonathan Holton earned his second A-10 Rookie of the Week award of the season.
• Sponge averaged 14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks for the Rams last week
• The Miami, Fla., native scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-15 (60 percent) shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds (eight offensive) against Duquesne.
• It marked the second time the A-10 selected Holton as its top rookie of the week.  He also earned the award on Nov. 28.  
• Classmate Mike Powell was named A-10 Rookie of the Week each of the previous two weeks - the first time since the 1995-96 season that two different Rhody freshman earned weekly rookie honors from the A-10.
• That season, both Antonio Reynolds-Dean and current URI assistant coach Preston Murphy were recognized by the conference.
• It is the first time in program history that two different URI players earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors twice in the same season.  

TODAY'S RUNNIN' RAM FACT(S) THAT YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT

• Rhody has allowed an opponent to shoot 50.0% or better in a single half of play in 14 of its 18 games
• Conversely, the Rams have shot 50.0% or better in a single half in just four games.
• URI is averaging just 10.9 assists per game this season.  If that average holds up, it will be the lowest assist average since the 2004-05 season, when Rams averaged just 10.7 dimes per game.
• The Rams scored 40 points off the bench last time out versus Duquesne - the second-highest point total by Rhody reserves this season.  Rhody's benched starters scored 48 points at Brown on Nov. 30 earlier this year.

LAST TIME OUT - DUQUESNE 78, RHODE ISLAND 71 (JAN. 14)

• Jonathan Holton set a career-high with 21 points (9-15 FG; 3-4 FT), while grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.  It was the freshman's third double-double of the season.  Eight of Holton's boards came on the offensive end.
• Andre Malone continued his hot hand from the floor, tallying 17 points – 12 in the first half.  The 6-6 guard knocked down 7-of-14 (3-8 3FG) in 26 minutes.
• Billy Baron added 14 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes.  He and Dominique McKoy each made their first collegiate start this afternoon vs. the Dukes.
• After one of the worst free throw shooting performances in eight seasons at GW on Wednesday, Rhody connected on 13-of-16 from the charity stripe against Duquesne – an 81.3% proficiency mark.
• Conversely, after setting a season-low in turnovers - eight – at GW, Rhody threw the ball away 17 times, which translated into 27 points for Duquesne.
• Mike Powell added nine points, seven rebounds, and a team-best six assists.  It marked the 14th time in 18 games that he led URI in the assist column.
• Duquesne outscored Rhode Island, 22-2, in fast break points.
• The Rams scored a season-high 40 points off the bench, due in large part to Holton and Malone.  Anthony Malhoit added two free throws in his four minutes of play.

BARON HOT FROM THE FREE THROW LINE

• Billy Baron has connected on his last 18 free throw attempts, dating back to the Dec. 29 game versus James Madison.
• Included in the streak was a 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe at Boston College on Jan. 2.
• The sophomore guard ranks first on the team in free throw percentage, connecting on 85.2% from the line (23-27).

MALONE SHAKING OFF THE RUST

• After a slow start, junior transfer Andre Malone has tallied three straight double-digit scoring games.
• Last time out against Duquesne, Malone scored a season-high 17 points (7-14 FG; 3-8 3FG).
• He also had 14 points at George Washington and 10 versus Richmond on Jan. 7.
• Over the last three games, the 6-6 guard has connected on 17-for-38 from the floor - including seven 3-pointers
• The transfer from Auburn had struggled from the floor (6-32 FG; 2-13 3FG) in his first four games after becoming eligible to compete on Dec. 23.

POWELL NAMED CO-ATLANTIC 10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN

• For the second straight week, the Atlantic 10 selected Mike Powell as its Co-Rookie of the Week on Jan. 9
• Powell averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 assists in a 1-1 week for Rhode Island.  
• He matched his career-high of 21 points in a 78-72 double overtime win at Boston College on Jan. 2.  He also added seven rebounds and three assists versus the Eagles.
• Powell also earned weekly rookie honors from the A-10 on Jan. 2, averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in a 1-1 week for Rhode Island.  
• He becomes the second Ram to earn A-10 Rookie of the Week honors, as Jonathan Holton was honored by the league on Nov. 28.

MIKE POWELL, FOR STARTERS

• In his last seven starts, freshman PG Mike Powell is averaging 13.3 points - second-most on the team during that span.
• He posted back-to-back career-highs of 21 points at UCF on Dec. 30 and at Boston College on Jan. 2.
• Over the seven-game span, Powell is also averaging 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.
• Powell was named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week on consecutive weeks (Jan. 2 and Jan. 9).

BILLY BALL

• Billy Baron has scored in double-figures in five of his last six games - including 14 points in his first collegiate start last time out against Duquesne.
• He added 18 points (6-11 FG; 3-6 3FG) at George Washington on Jan. 11
• Baron had a collegiate-high 24 points at Boston College - besting his previous high of 19, set last year at Virginia (vs. William & Mary, Nov. 12, 2010).
• The sophomore guard connected on four 3-pointers and 10-of-10 from the charity stripe vs. the Eagles.
• Baron's 10-for-10 free throw shooting performance was the best by a Ram in a single game since Brian Woodward was 16-for-16 versus Yale on Jan. 7, 2004.
• In his seven games played this season, Baron is averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.

DEFENSIVE WOES

• The Runnin' Rams rank 318th out of 339 in scoring defense, allowing 75.7 points per game.
• Rhode Island is also 328th in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot 48.9% from the floor
• URI is 237 in defensive 3-point FG percentage, as the opposition is connecting on 35.5% from the perimeter
• Rhody opponents have scored 80 or more points five times, 90+ three times, and 100 once.

FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT

• Jonathan Holton ranks 14th among all frosh nationally in rebounding, pulling down 6.8 boards per game
• Holton is also tied for 29th among all freshmen in blocked shots (1.1 bpg).
• Mike Powell is 27th among all frosh in assists per game (3.5).
• Rhody's newcomers account for 38% of the team's scoring, 38% of rebounding, and 58% of assist totals.

OVERTIME

• With the Jan. 2 double-overtime win at Boston College, Rhody has played in three overtime games (four total OT periods) so far this season - the most since the 2008-09 campaign.
• In all three OT contests this season, a freshman has scored the game-tying points in regulation.
• Last time out at Boston College, Mike Powell connected on a free throw with 21 seconds left to tie the game at 59-59.
• In the other two OT tilts, Powell (vs. Maine) and Jonathan Holton (at George Mason) tied the game in regulation with a 3-point field goal.
• During the 2008-09 campaign, Rhody opened A-10 play with a triple-overtime loss at Saint Joseph's, before winning a double OT game on the road at George Washington.
• The Rams played two other OT games that season - at home against La Salle and Dayton - for a total of four OT games (seven total OT periods).

NOW TRENDING: ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO

• Through the Runnin' Rams first 18 games, they have posted more assists than turnovers three times - at George Washington (Jan. 11), vs. Providence (Dec. 23) and vs. Hofstra (Nov. 25).
• On the season, URI has a 0.74:1 assist/turnover ratio (196 assists/266 turnovers)
• URI is averaging 10.9 turnovers, while dishing out 14.9 assists per game.
• Last season, in games with a positive assist/turnover ratio, Rhody was 12-3.

CLOSING THE BOOK ON THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• Rhode Island closed out its 2011-12 non-conference schedule with a 78-72 double OT win at Boston College on Jan. 2.
• 11 of the 15 Rams' opponents have posted a winning record and seven of the 15 have 10 or more victories.
• The combined win-loss record of the teams on Rhody's non-conference slate is 122-84 (as of Jan. 5).
• According to RealTimeRPI.com, Rhody's non-conference strength of schedule ranking is 75 - sixth-best in the A-10.
• Since joining the Eastern 8 in the 1980-81 season, URI has posted a 247-198 mark in non-conference play.
• Dating back to the 2006-07 season, the Rams have posted a 64-36 record versus out-of-conference opponents.
• Rhody' s six opponents in the month of November - George Mason, Texas, Nebraska, Hofstra, Boston Univ., and Cleveland State - combined for 143 wins and six postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 2 NIT, 1 CBI) last year.
• Nine of the 15 teams the Runnin' Rams will face in the non-conference slate won 21 or more games a season ago.
• 10 of the 15 made postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 4 NIT, 3 CBI) in 2010-11.

TRANSFERS MAKE RHODY DEBUTS

• Andre Malone and Billy Baron each played their first games in a Rhode Island uniform on Dec. 23 vs. Providence
• Malone earned the start and added four points, two rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes
• Baron played 26 minutes, tallying three points, four boards, four assists and a steal
• Both players showed a little rust after close to a year off from competition, combining to shoot 1-for-14
• David Fox of Rivals.com picked Malone, a 6-6 guard from Atlanta, as the Atlantic 10's Newcomer of the Year.  
• Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com highlighted Baron, a 6-2 guard and son of head coach Jim Baron, among his top 25 impact transfers nationally

WILSON DISMISSED FROM TEAM

• On Dec. 27, head coach Jim Baron announced that senior guard Jamal Wilson has been dismissed from the Rhode Island men's basketball team due to a violation of team rules
• Wilson had been the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.4 points in 11 games played.
• He poured in a career-high 38 points in the season opener at George Mason on Nov. 11 and was named A-10 Player of the Week on Nov. 14
• The Norristown, Pa. native was suspended prior to the Dec. 18 Yale game - also for a violation of team rules

ORION GIVE-ETH AND TAKE-ETH AWAY

• Orion Outerbridge set new career-highs in blocked shots (5) and assists (3) vs. Yale.
• OO's five swats were the most by a Ram player since Delroy James rejected five Saint Louis shots on March 8, 2011
• Outerbridge now has 82 blocks in his career and needs 10 more to crack Rhody's all-time top 10 list.
• The Boston, Mass. native currently ranks fifth in the A-10 (2.1 bpg) with 35 total blocks this year.

THE FRANTIC FIVE - RHODY'S FIVE FRESHMEN

• 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
• 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.
• Over the last seven games, the Rams have featured three frosh in the starting five; six games with Powell, Holton, and Buchanan and, last time out, Powell, Buchanan and McKoy.

A-10 PRESEASON POLL:  RAMS PICKED 10TH

• Rhode Island was picked to finish 10th among the 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, according to the league's annual preseason poll.
• The poll, voted on by A-10 head coaches and media, was released during the conference's annual Media Day conference on October 13.  
• Xavier tops the poll, followed by Temple, Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure, and Richmond.   

20 YEARS IN A-10 FOR BARON

• This season marks the 20th for Jim Baron as a head coach in the Atlantic 10 Conference.  
• Baron served as head coach at his alma mater – St. Bonaventure – from 1992-2001, before arriving at URI
• During that span he has been named A-10 Coach of the Year four times.

NEXT UP:  LA SALLE (JAN. 21)

• Rhode Island continues its two-game road swing, heading to Philadelphia to take on La Salle at 4 p.m. at the Tom Gola Arena.
• The game will be aired live locally on Cox Sports Television (ch. 3/1003 HD)  
• Rhody fans can listen to the game live on the Beltone Hearing Aid Centers Rams Radio Network (WHJJ 920 AM; The Wolf 102.3 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