Box Score Boston, Mass.--Senior forward Benjamin Vezele (Providence, RI) registered his 1,000th career point as No. 5-seeded Rhode Island College fell at No. 4-seeded UMass Boston, 89-82 , in the first round of the 2020 Little East Men's Basketball Championship played at the Clark Athletic Center Gym on Tuesday evening.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 89, Rhode Island College 82
UMass Boston (16-10)
Rhode Island College (16-10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Vezele scored his 1,000th career point when he sank a jumper with 11:25 left in the first half.
• An action packed first half saw both teams go back and forth, which led to a 44-44 tie going into the halftime intermission.
• The Anchormen gained their largest lead of nine, 42-33, following three straight three-pointers by junior guard Keyshaun Jacobs (Lynn, MA) and an alley-oop dunk from Vezele with 4:31 remaining in the first stanza.
• Following a UMB timeout at 4:31, the Beacons went on a 9-2 to tie the score before the half.
• The Anchormen took the lead on their first shot of the second half when junior forward Tim Deng (Portland, ME) drained a three ball and then held the lead until the 10:51 mark when the Beacons evened the score at 59 on a junior guard Michael Boyd (Malden, MA) layup.
• The Anchormen tied the score on two more occasions, but the Beacons proved to be too strong as they were able to hold on to advance to LEC Championship Semifinals on Thursday.
• Vezele finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and a pair of assists. Jacobs finished with 26 points, four rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Jonatan Batista (Providence, RI) chipped in with two points, 10 boards and five assists in his final collegiate game.
• UMB senior center Mark Monroe (Quincy, MA) led the Beacons with a 21-point, 12-rebound, double-double, and handed out a pair of assists.
BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 36 percent (28-for-77) from the field, 30 percent (9-for-30) from three-point range and 68 percent (17-for-25) from the foul line.
• UMB shot 53 percent (34-for-64) from the field, 48 percent (10-for-21) from three-point territory and 48 percent (11-for-23) from the foul line.
• RIC controlled the glass with a 50-42 advantage, which included going 24-12 on the offensive end.
