Matthews Scores 21 Points in Return, URI Rolls Dartmouth 84-61 in Season Opener

Matthews Scores 21 Points in Return, URI Rolls Dartmouth 84-61 in Season Opener

E.C. Matthews returned to the URI lineup and at times it looked like he never left. 

Sporting a knee brace, Matthews poured in a team high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, and the #23 URI Rams rolled Dartmouth 84-61 on Friday night at the Ryan Center. 

Matthews first points of the season came 2:53 into the game off of a drive and dish by guard Jarvis Garrett. Matthews knocked down the corner three, putting him over 1,000 points for his career.

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Matthews played 23 minutes in his return, leaving the game with eight minutes to play, giving head coach Dan Hurley a hug on his way to the bench. 

URI starts their season 1-0 and are now 10-1 in season openers at the Ryan Center. 

Rams Pull Away

Despite the lopsided score, the game was close for most of the first half with Dartmouth holding a brief 12-11 five minutes into the game. 

URI led 28-24 with 4:18 to play in the first half when a jump shot by University of Indiana transfer Stanford Robinson and a dunk by Christian Thompson sparked the Rams to a 22-4 run to take a 50-28 lead following a Garrett jump shot. 

The Big Green never got back within striking distance as the Rams would cruise to a win. 

Hassan Martin Dominates 

While his performance might be overshadowed by the return of Matthews, Hassan Martin was dominate in this game. 

Martin, who was making a bit of a return himself after missing the end of last season with a knee injury, posted his 16th double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while also blocking seven shots. 

Court side w/@401only for @universityofri vs @dartmouth hoops.URI has a squad w/ #ECMatthews & Allen Ivy's nephew #KuranIverson #mediapass pic.twitter.com/hZDXD9niNP

— P-100 (@P100ism) November 12, 2016

 

 As a team, The Rams blocked a total of 11 shots and forced 20 turnovers in the game. 

Next up 

URI returns to action on Monday, November 14 when they host Marist at 7 p.m. 

The game is part of the 2016 Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament.