Rams and Friars win; Bryant loses

Malesevic leads Rams to 2nd straight

RAMS  67 DUQUESNE 62
Rhody won its second straight game, 67-62 over Duquesne, thanks to some key defensive stops late in the ballgame.  URI closed on a 14-5 run over the final 4:06, holding Duquesne to just one field goal as it earned a 67-62 win on the road.

Nikola Malesevic had 19 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes.  The senior from Serbia knocked down 8-of-13 from the floor – including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. His 3-pointer with 3:03 left was a turning point shot and his layup with just under a minute to play gave the Rams the lead for good.

“A certain amount of confidence is setting in after all those losses,” said Rhody’s first-year coach Dan Hurley. “Sometimes it takes you time to learn your personnel. I think it took us a while to learn what makes these guys tick.”

BRYANT 75 WAGNER 89
Latif Rivers scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures, and Wagner pulled away from Bryant in the second half for an 89-75 victory in Northeast Conference play Saturday afternoon. The loss, combined with other wins, knocks the Bulldogs out of first place.
Bryant will now look to rebound as they return home next Thursday, Feb. 21 to host Central Connecticut at 7:00 p.m. Starting against the Blue Devils, the Bulldogs will play four of their final five games inside the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center.

Council breaks Ernie D’s assists record

FRIARS 71 NOTRE DAME 54
In a game televised on OSN, Providence Colleg defeated #21/#21 Notre Dame, 71-54, at the Dunk.
The victory marks four consecutive BIG EAST wins for the Friars, a feat that the team has not accomplished since the 2003-04 season.

Senior point guard Vincent Council broke former Friar Ernie D’Gregorio’s PC all-time assist mark of 662 as he finished the day with 671 career assists.

Kadeem Batts ahd 14 points leading a balanced Friar attack.

“Kadeem’s been the best player in the league for the last month probably. He’s been pretty good lately,” PC coach Ed Cooley said