Knights’ Dominant Second Half Hammers Holyoke 95-63!
01.22.19
Dave Cabeceiras
Warwick, R.I. – January 22, 2019: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team traveled to Holyoke, MA to face off with the Cougars of Holyoke Community College Saturday afternoon. A slow first half was followed by a dominant performance in the second half by the Knights as they coasted their way to a 95-63 victory. The win improves CCRI's record to 15-3 overall and 12-2 in Region XXI play.
The Knights came out of the gate trying to figure out the tempo they wanted to implement with only seven players available. In one of their lowest scoring halves of the season, CCRI held a 34-25 lead at halftime.
With some energy left to give, CCRI came out in the second half pushing higher up the court in their ¾ court trapping defense. The move turned the game on its head as the Knights snatched 14 second half steals, 17 total and a massive increase on their 9.4 steals per game average. CCRI forced Holyoke to play at the pace they wanted an took complete control of the game. Applying constant pressure after every made basket, the Knights put up 61 second half points and cruised to a 95-63 win.
The Knights were led by sophomore co-captain Peter Wilson (Providence, RI) with game-high 24 points along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sophomore co-captain Dave Cabeceiras (Warwick, RI) scored 21 points with seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block. Sophomore co-captain JC Santos (East Providence, RI) recorded his second double-double of the season with 19 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Kyle Murphy (West Warwick, RI) came off the bench with 11 points, four rebounds and one steal. Sophomore Oscar Iteji (Schenectady, NY) racked up 12 rebounds with eight points, two assists, one steal and one block. Freshman Franklin Udeh (Boston, MA) ripped down 11 rebounds with seven points, three steals and two blocks. Sophomore Jake Gillis (Jamestown, RI) chipped in five points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Head Coach Rick Harris commented: "Great game for the young men considering the sudden injuries that hit our team the end of the week. Very strong execution and effort in the second half and we just want to build on this as we get into the meat of conference play. Our goal continues to be work towards playing our best basketball of the season come playoff time."
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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.