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North Dartmouth, Mass.—Junior center Mike Akinrola (Woonsocket, RI) scored a game-high 20 points as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team lost, 75-70, to UMass Dartmouth in Little East Conference action on Tuesday night at the Tripp Athletic Center. |
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Senior forward Darius Debnam (Dorchester, MA) led all rebounders with 10, while Akinrola corralled eight, as the Anchormen (11-7, 5-3 LEC) held a remarkable, 41-19, advantage on the glass. Sophomore guard Tahrike Carter (Brooklyn, NY) also reached double figures with an 11-point effort. |
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Senior forward Brandon Stephens (Dorchester, MA) scored a team-high 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, with three assists and three steals for the hosts.Junior guard Alex Klepadlo (Bernardston, MA) chipped in 13 points, while junior guard Paul Rose (Boston, MA) added 11 points and a game-high five steals. The Corsairs (8-11, 4-4 LEC) shot 44 percent (23-of-52) from the field, including 39 percent (12-of-31) from behind the three-point line and 90 percent (17-of-19) from the free throw line. |
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The Anchormen shot 51 percent (27-of-53) from the floor, 38 percent (6-of-16) from three-point range and 73 percent (19-of-26) from the free-throw line. |
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Both teams battled back-and-forth in the opening nine minutes, which featured 11 lead changes, and with 11:46 left in the first half, Rhode Island College led UMD 17-15. Six consecutive points by sophomore center Steven Roberts (New Haven, CT) gave the Anchormen their largest lead, 27-17, with 7:17 remaining. The Corsairs closed the half on a 15-10 run, making the score 37-32 in favor of Rhode Island College. |
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UMass Dartmouth carried their momentum into the second half, executing a 13-8 run over six minutes to tie the game at 45-45 with 13:19 on the clock. At most two points separated the teams a majority of the second half, with 12 lead changes occurring in the span of 10 minutes, creating a tie at 67-67 with 2:42 remaining. RIC junior forward Mason Choice (Newport, RI) made a three-pointer, but free throw shooting by Stephens and junior forward Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) tied the game again at 70-70. UMD made five more free throws down the stretch and solid defense by the Corsairs locked up the 75-70 victory. |
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In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at home against UMass Boston on Saturday, Jan. 29. |
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