Leicester, Mass.- The Becker College Men's Basketball team begin their 2011-12 season with a 60-52 loss to the visiting Anchormen of Rhode Island College on Thursday evening at the Leicester Gym.
Becker opens its season with an 0-1 record. Rhode Island College is now 2-0 on the season.
Rhode Island's Mike Akinrola (Woonsocket, R.I.) led the Anchormen with 16 points. Mason Choice (Newport, R.I.) shot a nearly-perfect five of six from the floor with 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Tom DeCiantis (N. Kingstown, R.I.) finished with ten points and three rebounds. Tahrike Carter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) filled up the stat line with six points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Becker's Terrance Favors (Boston, Mass.) led all scorers with 18 points and four rebounds. Rajai Leggett (New Haven, Conn.) finished with 15 points and ten rebounds. Jerome Cohen (Boston, Mass.) made a major contribution off the bench for the Hawks, scoring eight points and hauling down ten rebounds.
Rhode Island took a 42-39 lead into halftime, shooting 54 percent from the floor in the first half and burying seven three-pointers. Early in the second half the quick-handed Hawk defense helped spark a nine point Becker surge. Becker cut what had been a 19 point Anchormen advantage to ten after a put-back by Cohen, making the score 48-38. After a basket by Akinrola, back-to-back scores by Favors and Leggett cut the Anchormen lead to eight. Moments later, a three-pointer by Favors brought the Hawks to within seven, 52-45. Trading shots for much of the period, with three and a half minutes remaining in the contest, Becker's Moody Doherty (Roselle, N.J.) finished a layup to cut the lead to six at 57-51. That would be as close as the Hawks would come, as the Anchormen would finish on a 3-1 run with all points coming from the free-throw line. Becker shot 0-4 from the floor in the closing minutes with two turnovers.
The Hawks face their next challenge on Saturday, November 19th, when they travel to Brandeis to take on the Judges. Rhode Island hosts the Lasers of Lasell on Saturday.