How It Happened
Despite a career-high 32 points from freshman E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island (11-15, 2-9 A-10) could not slow down Duquesne's offense as the Rams fell 83-71 Saturday.

Duquesne (11-13, 3-8 A-10) shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the floor, doing damage from in the paint and beyond the arc. The Dukes were 8-of-18 from the 3-point arc and outscored Rhode Island 38-24 in the paint.

Rhode Island tied its season high with 10 3-pointers, shooting a robust 58.8 percent beyond the arc. However, the Rams – playing with just eight players – could not keep pace with the Dukes, dropping their fifth straight game.


Inside the Box Score

• Freshman E.C. Matthews led the Rams with a career-high 32 points. He is the first Ram to score 30 in a game since Xavier Munford had at Temple last season.
• It was the fifth time in six games Matthews has scored at least 20 points, and the seventh time he has reached the mark this season.
• Matthews was 11-for-15 from the floor, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range. The six treys were a career high and tied the team's individual high for the year.
• The teams combined for 18 3-point baskets, a new season high. The previous high was 17 at Brown on Jan. 2.
• The 10 3-pointers by Rhode Island tied the season high. The Rams also made 10 at McNeese State on Nov. 26.
• Freshman Hassan Martin had three blocked shots, his 10th game this season with at least three. He entered the game sixth nationally among all freshmen with an average of 2.3 blocks per game.
• Martin finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, just missing his fourth career double-double.
• Gilvydas Biruta was plagued by first-half foul trouble, as he picked up his second foul with 16:58 left in the first half. He got his third foul at 6:06 of the first half, but did not commit a foul after halftime. In 23 total minutes, he had seven points and four rebounds.
• The Rams continued to struggle from the free throw line, making just 13-of-25 from the stripe.
• Duquesne's Ovie Soko had a double-double, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds.  
• Former Ram Dominique McCoy took advantage of Rhody's lack of frontcourt depth. He had 11 points and nine boards for the Dukes.
• Guard Derrick Colter finished with 14 points for Duquesne. He was 7-for-8 at the line, all in the second half.
• Rhode Island was with forward Ifeanyi Onyekaba for the game. He was suspended for a violation of team rules.

Stat of the Day
4 – Four different Rams played at least 35 minutes Saturday. Hassan Martin (39) did not sit until he fouled out with 55 seconds to go. Xavier Munford (39), E.C. Matthews (37) and T.J. Buchanan (37) all played for nearly the entire game.

What's Next
Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's finish their regular season series on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the Ryan Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen live locally on OSN (Cox ch. 5 / 1005 HD) and will also air on SNY, with Eric Frede and Abu Bakr providing the call.  The game can also be seen online via Cox Sports Online.

The game between the Rams and the Hawks is also the Eighth Annual Pink Out Game, presented by South County Hospital, Bank RI, B101 and WPRI. Pink Out t-Shirts are on sale now for $8 and can be purchased across the URI Campus, at South County Hospital, and at the RamZone Gift Shop in the Thomas M. Ryan Center. All proceeds generated from the Pink Out will benefit the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation. Pink Out t-shirts will be on sale for $10 at various locations in the Ryan Center on the day of the Pink Out game.

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.