Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's men's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a defeat of Rhode Island College, 72-62, in Little East Conference play on Thursday evening at the Tripp Athletic Center.
UMass Dartmouth (10-8) obtained sole possession of second place in the conference standings with a record of 6-2, while the Anchormen (13-5) slipped into a third place tie with Keene State at 5-3.
Sophomore Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) powered the UMass Dartmouth attack, which featured five double-digit scorers, with a career-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including 6-for-8 from the free throw line.
The Corsairs' backcourt produced strong performances on the glass, as senior Jake Laga (Northampton, Mass.) notched a double-double with 10 rebounds and 11 points, and junior Jordan Rezendes (Onset, Mass.) reeled in a season-high 12 boards.
Junior Wale Abraham (Lynn, Mass.), who reached double figures for the third consecutive contest, contributed 14 points in only 18 minutes of action. Senior Alex Rodrigues (Fall River, Mass.) added 10 points and five caroms off the bench for UMass Dartmouth. John Genkos (Worcester, Mass.) recorded 13 points and five assists in the win.
For Rhode Island College, senior Victor Smith (Providence, R.I.) led the way with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench in just 24 minutes. Classmate Eric Alleyne (Watertown, Mass.) nearly missed a double-double with 13 points and a game-high nine assists, while Chris Burton (New Rochelle, N.Y.) registered nine points and seven boards.
After building a 10-point halftime lead, the Corsairs outpaced the Anchormen, 23-14, over the opening 10 minutes and 19 seconds of the second stanza to accumulate their largest lead of the contest, 58-39. UMass Dartmouth maintained a comfortable lead of at least 13 points over the next six minutes, until Rhode Island College staged its last stand.
The Anchormen then embarked on a 10-0 run, capped off by four straight points from Alleyne, to bring the game within reach, 64-57, at the three minute, 23 second mark. Both teams then traded pairs of baskets. However, the Corsairs removed any lingering doubt on a thunderous dunk by Abraham which punctuated the UMass Dartmouth scoring with 70 seconds remaining.
After the UMass Dartmouth frontcourt experienced early first half foul trouble, Rodrigues produced 14 quality minutes with six points on three consecutive baskets, to accompany one rebound and one block, helping the Corsairs widen their lead. UMass Dartmouth rode its hot shooting from the floor (14-for-26, 53.8 percent) to a double-digit lead at the break.
UMass Dartmouth hit six three-balls in the contest, while limiting the Anchormen to only 1-of-16 from downtown. Rhode Island College held a 22-14 advantage in points in the paint and produced 25 turnovers.
UMass Dartmouth resumes conference play at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, when the Corsairs travel to Western Connecticut State (12-6, 4-4 LEC).
