What It Means:
Rhode Island fought to the final buzzer but came up four points short - 61-54 - at Saint Joseph's.

The Rams (10-10; 1-4 A-10) trailed 14-7 less than six minutes into the game, but chipped away the rest of the half.  Rhody's 9-1 run over the final three minutes of the half - capped by a Xavier Munford 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left  - gave URI its first lead, 30-27, at the break.

In the second half, Rhode Island was able to extend its lead to six points, after a Jarelle Reischel jumper at the 14:19 mark made it 37-31.  But Saint Joseph's would go on a 20-4 run over the next eight minutes, making seven trips to the free throw line on the 13 possessions during the run.

A late surge from Rhode Island cut the deficit to just three points - after a Munford three-ball with 9.2 seconds left made it 60-57.  

Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Xavier Munford led Rhody with 16 points (5-16 FG; 2-6 3FG; 4-5 FT) and eight rebounds in 38 minutes of action.  The senior guard also had a career-high four steals.

* Gilvydas Biruta scored 11 points (4-8 FG) but was limited to just 19 foul-plagued minutes.  Using the plus/minus metric, Biruta was even for the game - one of four Rams even or better.

* Munford and Ifeanyi Onyekaba were +4, while Biruta and Reischel were even.  Onyekaba pulled down five rebounds in 12 minutes tonight.

* Jarelle Reischel played 25 minutes off the bench and made his most significant contributions in the scoring and rebounding columns of the box score.  The sophomore transfer scored eight points and grabbed six boards.  It was his highest scoring total since Nov. 25 (11 pts vs. McNeese State) and the most rebounds since he grabbed six at SMU on Nov. 11.

* The Rams were whistled for 28 fouls - the most in a 40 minute game since Nov. 15, 2011 when Rhody tallied 30 fouls at Texas.  It was the highest foul total in a regulation conference game since Feb. 22, 2006, when the Rams committed 30 fouls at Saint Louis.

* Saint Joseph's capitalized, holding a 38-15 edge in free throw attempts.  SJU's Ronald Roberts made 12 trips to the foul line, while Langston Galloway attempted 10 - all in the second half.

* The Rams did a solid job on the glass, outrebounding the Hawks, 40-30.  URI's 14 offensive boards tied for a single-game high through the first five conference games.

Stat of the Day:
13 - Rhody outscored Saint Joseph's, 13-4, off the bench.  Reischel had eight of the 13, while Onyekaba added a layup and Matthew Butler a first half 3-pointer.

What's Next:
Rhode Island will return home to host Dayton in a nationally televised game on Saturday, Jan. 25.  The game will be aired live nationally on CBS Sports Network, beginning at 4 p.m.  Sean Grande and Steve Wolf have the call.

The game is part of the nationwide Suits and Sneakers initiative by Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society.  Additionally, there will be several CvC initiatives during the game, spearheaded by Dan and Andrea Hurley.



Join The Hurleys and Coaches vs. Cancer on Jan. 25 and Help "Stomp Out Cancer"

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 NewsRadio 920 (920 AM) to hear Steve McDonald and Don Kaull provide the call.