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University of Rhode Island

Men's Basketball

Rhody Heads Back to Philly; Faces Saint Joseph's on Wednesday Night

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RHODE ISLAND VERSUS SAINT JOSEPH'S

  • Rhode Island faces Saint Joseph's in the lone regular season meeting between the two schools.  
  • SJU holds a 53-40 advantage in the all-time series record, which dates back to the 1940-41 season.   
  • Last season, the Rams saw their three game win streak against the Hawks snapped, in an 80-69 loss at home on Feb. 15, 2012.
  • Rhody is 15-29 all-time at Hawk Hill.

RHODE ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE

  • Since its inaugural season in 1980-81, Rhode Island has posted a 235-291 all-time record in Atlantic 10 play.  
  • The Rams earned their first conference victory of the 2012-13 season at Saint Louis on Jan. 19 - an 82-80 overtime win.
  • Last season, Rhody finished with a 4-12 mark in conference play, putting them in 13th place in the league standings.
  • On Jan. 18, 2012 - at Fordham - Rhode Island played its 500th Atlantic 10 game all-time.

LAST TIME OUT - TEMPLE 76, RHODE ISLAND 70 - MARCH 2

  • 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.
  • 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.  
  • 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.

TODAY'S RHODE ISLAND BASKETBALL FACT(S) YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT

  • Today's Theme:  More Random Stuff
  • Through 27 games last year, Mike Powell had 100 assists and 87 turnovers in 836 total minutes (31.0 minutes per game).  
  • This season, Powell has 101 assists and 73 turnovers in 989 total minutes (36.6 mpg - an increase of more than 5.5 mpg).  
  • Former Rhody great Tom Garrick was voted #60 on CBS Sports Top 75 March Madness Moments, in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the NCAA Tournament.   
  • Kevin Tirone - Rhody's director of basketball operations - is a 2005 graduate of Saint Joseph's.

30 FOR 30

  • Xavier Munford registered his second 30-point performance of the season on March 2 at Temple.
  • Munford was 12-of-23 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from the perimeter.
  • He had 33 points in Rhody's win at Auburn on Nov. 25 (11-24 FG; 8-15 3FG).
  • Munford is the first URI player in at least 16 years to have two 30+ point games in the same season.

DRE DAY AT TEMPLE

  • Andre Malone scored a season-high 18 points at Temple on March 2.
  • The 6-6 senior from Atlanta was 6-of-9 from the floor - and 4-of-5 from the perimeter.
  • His 18 points also marked a game-high in a Rhody uniform for the transfer from Auburn.

RECORD BOOK CHECK

  • Several Rams are close to cracking the school's record book in several statistical categories.
  • Xavier Munford: needs six more 3-pointers to become the 10th player in Rhody history to tally 70 made treys in a season. It would also have him crack URI's top 10 single-season 3FG made list.
  • Mike Powell:  with his seven assists at Temple on March 2, Powell became the first URI player since Marquis Jones (2009-10 - 146; 2010-11 - 128) to register 100 or more assists in consecutive seasons.  
  • Powell is also the first Rhody player to reach the 100-assist mark as a freshman and sophomore since Tyson Wheeler (1994-95 - 135; 1995-96 - 203).
  • Jordan Hare: needs four more blocked shots to crack Rhody's top 10 single-season list.  He currently ranks third all-time among Rhody freshman in blocks, behind Kenny Green (63 - 1986-87) and Antonio Reynolds-Dean (59 - 1995-96).

MUNFORD SECOND IN THE ATLANTIC 10 IN SCORING

  • Junior guard Xavier Munford ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, through games of March 5.
  • The Hillside, N.J. native checks in at 17.8 points per game - including 18.1 points per game in A-10 play, also ranking him second.
  • He has registered nine of Rhody's top ten scoring performances this season, including a 33-point effort at Auburn and a 30-point performance at Temple on March 2.
  • Munford has posted 10 games with 20 or more points - second-most in the Atlantic 10 this season.

CLOSE CALLS

  • In Atlantic 10 play, URI has played 12 of its 14 games in single-digits, with an average scoring margin of 5.6 points.
  • Three of the Rams' nine A-10 losses have been by three points or less.  
  • Through its first 14 A-10 contests last year, Rhody had lost by an average of 11.5 points per game.

MARTIN, MATTHEWS INK NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT

  • On Wednesday, Nov. 14, head coach Dan Hurley announced the signing of Hassan Martin and E.C. Matthews.
  • Martin is a 6-7, 190 lb. native of Staten Island, N.Y. and a standout forward for Curtis H.S. and the New Heights AAU program.  
  • His brother Phil played collegiately at UC Riverside and is playing in the NBDL.
  • Martin is ranked 125th on Scout.com's latest player rankings for the class of 2013 and will play in the Jordan Brand Regional Game on April 13 at the Barclays Center.
  • Matthews is a 6-4, 180 lb. point guard from Romulus, Mich.  He is one of three Division I signees from Romulus H.S. CBSSports.com ranks him No. 62 in their Top 100, while ESPN.com has him at No. 88.  Matthews spent time this summer at the LeBron James Skills Academy and plays his AAU basketball with The Family.
  • Matthews is ranked 72nd on Scout.com's latest player rankings - the top-rated recruit in the Atlantic 10 and the second-rated non-BCS signee for the class of 2013.
  • Scout.com rates Rhode Island's recruiting class as the eighth-best nationally (non-BCS).
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