No. 10 Ranked Knights Wallop Wyverns 87-51!

02.04.19

Warwick, R.I. – January 1, 2019: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team traveled to Worcester, MA on Saturday to take on the Wyverns of Quinsigamond Community College. A slightly tight first half was followed by complete control in the second half and the Knights walked away with a 87-51 victory. The win improves CCRI's season record to 21-3 overall and 18-2 in Region XXI play.

The first half started off much closer than the final score would indicate. After a hot start by the Knights, leading 18-4 with 12:23 remaining in the first half, the Wyverns began clawing back. The CCRI lead was cut to single digits and the teams headed into the locker room with the Knights leading the Wyverns 38-29.

The CCRI game plan switched for the second half, instead working the ball inside-outside on offense and stretching the court. The move paid off as the Knights went on a tear, outscoring the Wyverns 49-22 in the second half. Using their size and strength of sophomore Oscar Iteji (Schenectady, NY) and freshman Franklin Udeh (Boston, MA) were able to dominate the paint and punish the undersized Quinsigamond forwards and total 21 points and 20 rebounds as a pair. CCRI's perimeter shooting lacked its usual luster and forced them to push inside the arc and hit their mid-range jumpers along with their transitional scoring which has become a trademark of the Knights team. The second half domination paved a smooth path for CCRI as they would go onto win the game 87-51 over the Wyverns.

The Knights were led by sophomore co-captain Peter Wilson (Providence, RI) with 21 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. Freshman Jose Garcia (Boston, MA) scored a career high 14 points Saturday afternoon. Freshmen Franklin Udeh registered his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 rebounds and one assist. Sophomore Oscar Iteji recorded his fourth double-double of the season as he tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and an assist. Sophomore co-captain Dave Cabeceiras (Warwick, RI) scored 10 points with four rebounds and two steals. Sophomore co-captain JC Santos (East Providence, RI) orchestrated the offense flawlessly leading the team with assists with 10 and added six points, five steals and three rebounds. Sophomore Jake Gillis (Jamestown, RI) chipped in nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented: "Great week for the young men. We won three games in many different ways. We had to grind out games defensively and as well as rely on solid offensive execution. As I told our team, our region is a highly competitive one. Three teams [nationally] ranked and the other 11 battling each night to win against good teams to garner one of the six playoff spots. That recipe makes foe constantly improving teams and nights where anyone can beat anyone else. All in all, our guys are responding like seasoned veterans and they understand that they have much work still to do."

The CCRI Knights men's basketball team will next be in action on Tuesday, February 5 at 6 p.m. as they host the Lions of Gateway Community College.

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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.