Knights Withstand Wyverns to Win 76-70!

12.17.18

Warwick, R.I. – December 17, 2018: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team hosted the Wyverns of Quinsigamond Community College on Saturday afternoon. A slow start and battle down to the very end saw the Knights just barely edge out the Wyverns 76-70. The win improves CCRI's season record to 11-3 overall and 10-2 in Region XXI play.

For the second game in a row, the Knights came out a little bit flat off the tipoff. The visiting Wyverns started from the first play with a high intensity defense meant to prevent the Knights from driving the lane. The Knights also weren't allowed to score on the fast break as they have been in previous games and therefore were forced to shoot from distance. The Knights trailed the Wyverns 11-5 just four minutes into the contest. A lack of accurate shooting forced a change from the bench. Head Coach Rick Harris brought on freshman Dylan Durante (Johnston, RI) to aid in the lack of offensive efficiency. Durante answered the call, shooting 5-7 from beyond the arc. As a team, CCRI shot just 8-24 from three-point range a mere 33.3% down from their season average of 41.9%. The boost from the bench pushed the Knights forward and the score line, after one half read CCRI 38, Quinsigamond 40. At the half way mark the Knights were led by freshman Dylan Durante with 15 points, sophomore co-captain Dave Cabeceiras (Warwick, RI) had nine first half points and sophomore co-captain Peter Wilson (Providence, RI) had six first half points.

The Knights came out of the locker room determined to keep their perfect home record alive and an adjustment on the defensive side, forcing the ball to either sideline helped CCRI corral the Quinsigamond offense. The Knights 8.6 steals per game came in handy as they were able to quickly turn defense into offense, spreading the court and using their athleticism to score baskets. CCRI led by as much as eight points when the score read 55-47 with 14:18 left in the game. The Wyverns would put up a valiant fight, pulling to within two points with just 5:46 remaining, 63-61, but the Knights would never trail, outscoring the Wyverns 38-30 in the second half and going onto to win 76-70.

The Knights were led by Peter Wilson as he scored 16 points and added five assists, three rebounds, three steals and one block. Dylan Durante's first half performance saw him second in scoring with 15 points and he added two rebounds and one steal. Freshman Franklin Udeh (Boston, MA) tallied 11 points with seven rebounds, one assist and one steal. Sophomore co-captain JC Santos (East Providence, RI) dished out 11 assists with seven points, four rebounds and two steals. Dave Cabeceiras ended with nine points and three rebounds. Freshman Jason Palmer (Narragansett, RI) totaled nine points with six rebounds, one assist and one block. Freshman Darren Robinson (Providence, RI) chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented: " Quinsigamond played their best game of the year Saturday. Shot the ball very well and I commend our guys for meeting the challenge. Coming off a tough loss at Bristol, Saturday was a trap game for us. The players were still thinking about the Bristol game and probably sleeping a little bit on our next opponent; Quinsigamond. We could have very easily lost our second game in a row Saturday. Thanks to Dylan Durante's big first half shots and a good job with our multiple defenses in the second half we were able to secure the win. Now we have a chance Monday vs UCAP to win our 12th first semester game, which would be the most since the 2011-12, where we won 13 back during that historic National Championship run season. A much-needed two-week rest will follow."

The CCRI Knights men's basketball team will next be in action on Monday, December 17th at 8 p.m. as they host the Pointers of UConn Avery Point for their last contest of 2018.

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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.