What It Means:
Rhody used some early hot shooting in the first half and its trademark determination and grit in the second half in a 76-70 loss at Temple.  

The Rams led by as many as eight in the first half - 36-28 with 5:07 remaining - before the Owls closed on an 8-1 run to make it a 37-36 Rhody lead at the break.

The two teams traded baskets to start the second half, with two ties and two lead changes, before Temple's 10-0 run over the next 2:36, in which four fouls (two technicals) were whistled on the Rams.  

Rhody would answer with a hard-earned 13-2 push of its own, capped by a drive by T.J. Buchanan, making it 64-64 with 6:10 to play.  URI trailed by one - 71-70 - with 2:10 left, but were unable to convert a field goal down the stretch.

As a result of today's loss, Rhode Island will not be one of the 12 teams to advance to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship.

Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Xavier Munford - the A-10's second leading scorer - poured in a game-high 30 points, knocking down 12-of-23 from the floor and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.  

* He outdueled Temple's Khalif Wyatt, the only player above him in the A-10 scoring race.  Wyatt scored 24 points, making nine of his 11 free throw attempts.

* Andre Malone put forth an efficient line, scoring 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor.  The senior was also 4-of-5 from the perimeter, to go along with five rebounds.

* Mike Powell added eight points, four boards, and a season-high seven assists.  The sophomore guard now has 101 assists on the season and is the first Rhody player since Tyson Wheeler to register 100 or more assists as a freshman and sophomore.

* Mike Aaman grabbed seven rebounds to go along with six points in his second straight start.

* The Rams posted their fourth consecutive game with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.  Rhody had 13 assists and committed just 12 turnovers.

* 22 of Temple's 24 visits to the free throw line came in the second half.

* Rhody made 10 3-pointers against Temple - marking the first time that URI has made 10 3's and lost this season.

* Temple won the battle of the boards, 41-33.  The Owls held a 29-12 edge on the glass in the second half.

What's Next:
Rhode Island returns to the City of Brotherly Love to take on Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, March 6.

The game tips at 7 p.m. and can be heard 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 smartphone device through iheart.com or the iHeartRadio app.