What It Means:
Rhody dropped a non-conference matchup on the road to A-10 foe George Mason, falling to 0-3 in true road games this season.  

The Rams trailed throughout the game until an E.C. Matthews layup with 6:55 to play gave the team its first lead at 50-48.  A Jarelle Reischel free throw with 3:09 left put URI up 53-52, but Mason would close the game on a 9-1 push to seal the victory.

Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Xavier Munford led the Rams with 13 points.  The senior guard shot 5-of-18 from the floor, including 2-of-6 from the perimeter.  He also logged two steals in a season-high 38 minutes.

* Gilvydas Biruta tallied his third consecutive game in double figures, with 12 points.  The 6-8 forward played 23 foul-plagued minutes.

* Rhode Island was whistled for 24 fouls, to 18 for Mason.  The Patriots visited the charity stripe 26 times; the Rams 17.

* T.J. Buchanan added six second half points off the bench in 18 minutes of action.

* After a solid shooting half to start (12-24; 50.0%), Rhody connected on just 8-of-26 in the second half (30.8%).

* Rhode Island outscored George Mason, 30-28, in the paint.

Quotable:
Head coach Dan Hurley:  "We didn't get stops and didn't finish at the rim down the stretch and that proved costly."

"This was the first time we've been on the road in a tight game.  We talked before the game that we had a chance to win our seventh game in the month of November and that's only been done in this program once before.  But there's time before league play begins to fix some of the things that ail us."

Senior guard Xavier Munford: "We have to learn from a loss like this.  We have to have this loss make us stronger.  Playing tough games and tough teams on the road can be a learning experience."

What's Next:
Rhode Island will host Providence on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. in a game that will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

The Rams and Friars will face off on the hardwood for the 126th time in the two schools' history.

This matchup can be heard live on the University of Rhode Island Radio Network, powered by Beltone Hearing Aid Centers.  Tune into B101 (101.5 FM) to hear Steve McDonald and Don Kaull provide the call.  Pre-game show begins at 7:30 p.m.  This - and all Rhody games on radio - can be heard on the internet or your smartphone device through iheart.com or the iHeartRadio app.