URI Basketball Falls to McNeese - Darling of Last Year’s Big Dance - 66-64
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URI Basketball Falls to McNeese - Darling of Last Year’s Big Dance - 66-64
The two teams went into halftime at the Ryan Center knotted at 37, but a fadeaway jumper by McNeese in the last seconds of the game put the visitors up by two.
An inbound play by the Rams at the buzzer for the tie was thwarted by the Cowboys, sealing the Rams’ fate.
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Pre-Conference Play
McNeese, which is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was a darling of last year’s NCAA tournament, upsetting Clemson before falling to Purdue in the second round of the Big Dance.
Their team manager, Amir Khan, was a breakout social media star for his viral video with a boom box and players on the team.
With the win, McNeese improves to 8-2 on the season, and Rhode Island - who lost to Providence College on Saturday - falls to 7-4, ahead of Atlantic 10 conference play.
The Rams' Jahmere Tripp led all scorers in the game with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting including a pair of threes; he added six rebounds and two assists.
Keeyan Itejere notched his first double-double in his Rhode Island career with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
McNesse is ranked 77th on KenPom, and the Rams are 107th.