Rhode Island College Men's Hoops Downs Lasell, 70-47

NEWTON, MA-  Rhode Island College downed Lasell College, 70-47, in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Lasell College Athletic Center. The Anchormen improve to 2-1 in the early part of the season, while the Lasers fall to 0-2.

Lasell's junior forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) topped all scorers with 19 points in the contest, scoring 15 of those points in the second half.  Williams also added a team-best six rebounds.  Sophomore guard Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT) and junior forward Dominik Orlow (Slupsk, Poland) also notched double-figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.  Orlow and sophomore guard Demetrious Lambright (Roxbury, MA) tied for a game-high three assists each.

For the victors, sophomore center Steven Roberts (New Haven, CT) came off the bench to lead the team in scoring and rebounding.  Roberts recorded a double-double performance, playing less than half of the total contest (18 minutes), with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Roberts shot 8-for-10 in the contest and collected five offensive boards for the Anchormen.  Junior center Mike Akinrola (Woonsocket, RI) and freshman center Ashton Watkins (Providence, RI) combined for 23 of Rhode Island's points.  Akinrola netted 13 points, grabbing five rebounds, and Watkins tallied 10 points, pulling down seven boards.

Mason Choice (Newport, RI) and Akinrola put Rhode Island up 4-0 in the early going before Jordan Fuller (Oviedo, FL) drained a three at 18:13 for Lasell. The teams traded buckets for the next nine minutes with Rhode Island maintaining the lead but Lasell not trailing by more than five.  With 9:06 on the clock, Orlow broke the Anchormen's press and converted on a fast break opportunity with help from Zachary Campbell (Cape Coral, FL) to bring the Lasers within three (18-15).   

With 8:48 remaining to play in the first half, the game turned when Rhode Island mounted a 20-0 run over a six minute span which left Lasell in arrears by 23 points.   A jumper in the paint by Roberts began the stretch and was capped by Tahrike Carter (Brooklyn, NY) on a driving lay-up.  Over the course of the run, Rhode Island's full court pressure paid off allowing the Anchormen to capitalize on 10 Lasell turnovers in the back-court.  Derrick Harper (Boston, MA) ended the scoreless streak for Lasell with a turn-around jumper in the key with 1:37 left in the first.  Rhode Island took a 42-17 lead into the locker room after a back-door basket by Akinrola closed the half.

The Anchormen had a 42.1% (16-38) shooting percentage in the first half, while holding Lasell to just 21 shots from the field (9-21), for a team average of 38.1%.   Rhode Island scored 16 points off of Lasell's 17 turnovers as well as out-rebounded the hosts 26-16. 

The visitors lead extended to 30 points just five minutes into the second stanza. The Anchormen then came upon their largest lead at 12:51 after a three-point play by Roberts stretched the margin to 56-21.  Williams' 15-point second-half cut the Anchormen's lead to 19, at 62-43, but that was the closest the hosts got through the final buzzer.

Over the course of the contest, Rhode Island maintained a steady 41.8% shooting percentage while out-rebounding Lasell, 51-35, including 18-8 on the offensive boards. 

Rhode Island will entertain Bridgewater State University in their next contest on Tuesday, November 23rd at 7:30 p.m. while Lasell will host Suffolk University in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener on the same date, at 7:00 p.m.