Courtesy of SJUHawks.com
KINGSTON, R.I. – Jared Terrell led all scorers with 24 points, and Rhode Island (10-4; 2-0) made 16 three-point field goals as the Rams defeated Saint Joseph’s, 88-58, at the Ryan Center.
The contest was the first for Saint Joseph’s (7-6; 1-1 A-10) without leading scorer Shavar Newkirk (20.1 ppg), who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the win over George Washington on Dec. 30.
Rhode Island connected on 16-of-30 three-point field goals in the game, led by Terrell’s 5-for-6 effort. E.C. Matthews also connected on 5-of-8 three-pointers to finish with 20 points.
James Demery, who returned last week after a 10-game absence because of injury, led the Hawks with 17 points. Freshman Charlie Brown scored 11 points for his fifth straight game in double figures.
Rhode Island led in the early going, 16-9, but the Hawks went on a 7-0 run, tying the game on a dunk from Javon Baumann at 9:50. SJU took a brief 18-17 lead after a pair of free throws by Chris Clover, but it would be all Rhode Island the rest of the half, and the game.
The Rams outscored Saint Joseph’s, 29-8, over the final eight minutes of the period, raining down eight three pointers in that span. Matthews connected on three consecutive long-range shots, and Terrell hit two in a row as the Rams ran up a 46-26 lead at the break.
Rhode Island went 9-for-17 from three-point range in the first half, while SJU managed just 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Saint Joseph’s came within 18 points at the start of the second half, but that would be the smallest margin the rest of the way. The Rams kept it going, increasing its lead to 66-39 at 11:13. A three pointer by Kuran Iverson at 4:30 upped URI’s lead to 82-52.
Iverson added 11 points for Rhode Island and Martin scored 10.
SJU made just 25 percent from three-point range (2-for-8), hit 12-of-25 from the foul line while committing a season-high 17 turnovers.
The Hawks will play their second straight on the road on Saturday when they visit Fordham at 3 p.m.
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