What It Means:
Rhody dropped its second game in Atlantic 10 play, 69-56, at George Washington.  

The Rams began the game cold offensively, falling behind 12-0 and managing just one field goal through the first nine minutes of play.  URI trailed by as many as 26 points in the first half (35-9, 3:02 left) and  were behind 37-13 at the break.

The second half had a much different tone, but unfortunately, the Rams could not get out of the hole they dug in the first 20:00.  Rhody outscored GW by 11 points (43-32) and trimmed the final deficit to just 13 points.

Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Freshman Hassan Martin put forth his finest effort in his young Rams career.  Martin posted career-highs with 16 points (8-9 FG) and 10 rebounds, marking his first collegiate double-double.  The newcomer from Staten Island played a season-high 38 minutes.

* T.J. Buchanan the lone other bright spot on the afternoon - adding 13 points (4-4 FG; 5-8 FT) to go along with three rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.

* Gilvydas Biruta finished with nine points, six boards, and three blocked shots, most of which came over the final 15:41 of regulation.  The 6-8 forward struggled early on, missing his first nine field goal attempts, but finished the game 4-for-5.

* Xavier Munford's streak of 14 double-digit scoring games came to an end.  The senior guard tallied eight points (4-14 FG; 0-2 3FG) in 37 minutes.  

Stat of the Day:
8 - Rhody blocked eight George Washington shots on the afternoon, marking the sixth time in the last eight games that the Rams blocked at least eight shots in a game.

Quotable:
Head coach Dan Hurley:  "We were flat the last two games.  I think we carried the disappointment from the Saint Louis game down here a bit. We saw it the last few days and discussed it. We talked about it and addressed that, but that was a tough start."

Junior captain T.J. Buchanan:  "I don't know what it is.  Guys need to get their heads together sooner. But we're going to get it together."

What's Next:
Rhode Island will head to Philadelphia on Wednesday night to take on La Salle at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11.  The game can be seen live locally on OSN, with Eric Frede and Abu Bakr making the call.

This - and every Rhody men's basketball game - 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.  The pre-game show begins at 6:30 p.m.