Update, 9:04 p.m….The Colonials came out cold in the second half, missing shots from every direction and keep the Rams from doing the same. Rhode Island pulled away to an 81-70 victory behind 17 points from junior Jimmy Barron. Junior Maureece Rice had the same amount for the Colonials, who drop to 5-9 and 1-3 in the Atlantic 10. See www.gwhatchet.com tomorrow for a complete roundup of the game.
Update, 7:52 p.m….The Colonials trail 44-39 at the half but have been able to keep pace with the Rams. GW led by as much as five but turnovers allowed Rhode Island to come back. The Rams also converted two three-point plays within the final minute. Turnovers are hurting both teams, as the Colonials have 10 and Rhode Island 8.The Ryan Center is nearly filled and has gotten extremely loud. At one point, junior Wynton Witherspoon tried to ally-oop a dunk to junior Rob Diggs but the pass was too high and flew over Diggs’ head and out of bounds, earning the duo boos and jeers from the crowd. The Rams have yet to lose at home this season.
I’m at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I., where the Colonials (5-8, a-2 Atlantic 10) will face the Rams (15-3, 1-2 A-10). Rhode Island recently dropped out of the rankings after spending four consecutive weeks in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today top 25.
The Colonials have won the past six meetings between the schools, but the Rams are an improved squad this season, as the team has a win over Syracuse in New York under its belt.
The Ryan Center holds 7,657 people but the arena appears larger than that. It’s modern and has three levels of seats, which wrap all the way around the court. The only thing Smith Center has that the Ryan Center does not is a center scoreboard. URI’s scoreboards are flat and on either side of the court.