Xavier pounds Rhody in A-10 opener

Xavier pounds Rhody in A-10 opener

Losing to Florida in Gainesville won’t kill the Rams’ tournament chances. Getting blown out at home by Xavier could.

Tu Holloway finished with 21 points and Jamel McLean had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds as the Musketeers crushed Rhode Island, 72-45, in the Atlantic 10 opener for both schools Sunday at the Ryan Center.

What was billed as an evenly-matched game between two comparable programs got out of hand early as Xavier (9-5, 1-0 A-10) began to pull away courtesy of a 12-0 run less than eight minutes into the opening half. After the Rams pulled to within seven, the Musketeers closed the half on an 8-0 run to open up a 12-point lead at the break. Xavier snapped its two-game losing streak with Sunday’s win while Rhode Island dropped its second consecutive game and its first of the season at home.

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The Rams ended 2010 on a positive note, beating Boston College at home in a thrilling finish that also marked the return of Orion Outerbridge, who converted two key dunks down the stretch to fend off the Eagles. Outerbridge’s return (he sat out the first semester to focus on his grades) was supposed to provide a spark for Rhode Island, but the junior forward finished with just one point in Sunday’s loss while turning the ball over three times and was only slightly effective last Monday (eight points, six rebounds) in an 84-59 loss at Florida.

Rhode Island has yet to win in 2011 and now faces the possibility of an 0-2 start in A-10 play with its next game scheduled Thursday at Richmond. The Spiders are 13-4 overall and already 2-0 in the A-10 with easy wins over Charlotte and La Salle on their resume.

Delroy James led the Rams (9-6, 0-1 A-10) with 13 points and 14 rebounds, but shot just 4-of-16 from the field. The only other scorer to reach double figures for Rhode Island was Nikola Malesevic with 12 points.