What It Means:
Rhode Island dropped its season opener - and the first game of the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic.  It also extended URI's home opener slide to three games.

Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Nikola Malesevic led all scorers with a career-high 26 points.  The 6-7 Serb knocked down 7-of-15 from the floor (3-4 3FG), while also grabbing nine rebounds in 33 minutes.

* Ryan Brooks contributed on the defensive end of the floor tonight.  In his most significant action in close to two seasons, the senior forward added eight rebounds (4 off./4 def.) and four blocked shots.  He also drew a key offensive foul late in the second half.

* Rhody led by five at the break - 30-25 - but Norfolk State opened the second half on an 8-0 run over the first 3:03 of action.

* After shooting 13-of-17 from the charity stripe in the first 20:00 of play, the Rams struggled down the stretch - connecting on just 6-of-13.  Included in that total were two front-ends of a 1-and-1.

* The Rams registered just one assist in the second half.

* Andre Malone added 13 points.  After starting 0-for-4 from the outside in the first half, he connected on 3-of-7 in the second half.  He also added four boards.

* Xavier Munford registered three of Rhody's eight steals. 

* Norfolk State grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, which translated to 22 second-chance points.

What's Next:
The Rams travel to Blacksburg, Va. to take on Virginia Tech on Monday night at 7 p.m.  The game can be seen live on ESPN3.  

Steve McDonald and Don Kaull return to bring you the call on the Beltone Hearing Aid Centers Rams Radio Network (B101 - 101.5 FM).  This - and all Rhody games on radio - can be heard on the internet or your smartphone device through iheart.com or the iHeartRadio app.