How It Happened
Rhode Island (4-2) got off to a sluggish start, but a 20-2 first half run sparked by the play of freshman E.C. Matthews led the Rams to a 79-68 win over UMass Lowell Saturday.

The visiting River Hawks (0-5) held a 13-9 lead at the 11:07 mark of the first half. The Rams responded by holding UMass Lowell scoreless over the next 6:11 as part of the 20-2 run. Matthews game URI its first lead at 14-13 with a 3-pointer at 8:51 of the first half, and Rhody never gave its lead up.

UMass Lowell cut the lead to as little as five points early in the second half, but the Rams quickly pushed their lead to double digits and held the advantage throughout.

Inside the Box Score

• Freshman E.C. Matthews had 15 points and was 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc. After starting the season 1-for-9, Matthews is 6-for-11 from the arc in his last three games.
• Rhode Island's bench was the difference in the game. The Ram reserves scored 37 points, compared to just 11 for UMass Lowell.
• After scoring just four points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first half, Xavier Munford came back strong after the break. He shot 3-for-6 from the floor in the second half and finished with 16 points.
• In addition to Matthews and Munford, T.J. Buchanan also reached double figures, scoring 11 points off the bench.
• Ifeanyi Onyekaba had a game-high nine rebounds for Rhode Island.
• Gilvydas Biruta, Biggie Minnis and Jarelle Reischel all finished with nine points as the Rams had a balanced offense.
• The Rams had 15 assists as a team, compared to four for UMass Lowell.
• Despite the victory, Rhode Island shot just 19-for-31 at the free throw line. The Rams were better late, making 14-of-20 in the second half.
• Former Rhode Island players Lamar Odom, Tavorris Bell and Ed Brown were on hand for the game. All three were part of the 1998-99 team that won the Atlantic 10 Championship for the Rams. Also on the team was URI assistant coach Preston Murphy.

Quotable:
Head Coach Dan Hurley:  It's always good to win. I thought we had some nice contributions today.  When you're coming off 15 wins in two years, to get our fourth win here in November, we feel pretty good.
 
T.J. had an outstanding game pretty much in every facet. I think E.C. was strong and Ifeyani played better.
 
I think our forward defense was embarrassing and we allowed guys who hadn't been productive be a factor today. It was good enough to win today but won't be on Monday.  If we're going to be better, we've got to get our better players to play better and more efficient.
 
Gil's a guy who plays with a lot of energy. Right now he just seems a little tentative. He seems a little tame right now.
 
Because we've played such a great amount of games in a short period of time, we haven't had the practice time to change our philosophy.
 
We have not been a fast starting team and that's something we might have to look at from a rotational standpoint.

T.J. Buchanan: "I feel like once we become tough as a unit, we're going to be really good."

Stat of the Day
42 – Rhode Island scored 42 points in the paint, accounting for 53 percent of the team's total offense.

What's Next
Rhode Island hosts back-to-back doubleheaders Monday, Nov. 25 and Tuesday, Nov. 26 as part of the NIT Season Tipoff. The Rams host UNC Asheville Monday and McNeese State Tuesday. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. Steve McDonald and Don Kaull will have the radio call both nights.