CCRI Victorious in Battle of Knights 106-73!

01.23.19

Warwick, R.I. – January 23, 2019: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team hosted the Knights of Northern Essex Community College on Tuesday evening. The high-octane offense of CCRI overpowered Northern Essex and they ran away with a 106-73 victory. The win improves CCRI's season record to 16-3 overall and 13-2 in Region XXI play.

The first meeting between the two Knight teams was a lopsided 114-78 win in favor of CCRI. The second faceoff would have a similar feel, but with a less than stellar start. CCRI took an early 4-0 lead but Northern Essex would take the lead back at 5-4 two minutes into the game. CCRI buckled down and started their ¾ press earlier than in any other game an jumped out to a 13-8 lead with 16:06 left in the first half. Northern Essex remained within striking distance, behind Evan Hardy five first half three-pointers.

10 minutes into the first half, CCRI held a slim 27-23 lead over Northern Essex. Freshman Franklin Udeh (Boston, MA) began to exploit the lack of opposition big men in the paint and went on a tear. Udeh had 13 first half points with seven rebounds and couldn't be matched in the paint. Sophomore co-captain JC Santos (East Providence, RI) led scoring with 16 first half points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. CCRI headed into the locker room with a 58-42 halftime lead.

The second half saw even more domination on CCRI's part. The lead would grow to and surpass 30 points and eventually settle at 33 points with a final score of CCRI 106, Northern Essex 73. JC Santos led all scoring with a career high 32 points along with eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. Franklin Udeh recorded his third double-double of the season with a career high 26 points with 14 rebounds and one assists. Sophomore co-captain Peter Wilson (Providence, RI) tallied 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks.

Head Coach Rick Harris commented: "First step this week in preparation for our highly anticipated home game with Bunker Hill Saturday afternoon. Our backcourt, as they have often done, set the pace vs Northern Essex with their aggressive attacking style. JC Santos and Peter Wilson are one of the finest backcourts I have coached and their performance last night has become standard. Very pleased with our inside game, especially freshman Franklin Udeh. Last night our opponent had no answer for his aggressive play in the paint. Everyone seems to be following that lead as we attempt to play as hard as we can and improve as much as we can. We will not look past Thursday's road game at UConn Avery Point and just try to be as well prepared as possible for our next game."

The CCRI Knights men's basketball team will next be in action on Thursday, January 24 at 8 p.m. as they travel to Groton, CT to take on the Pointers of UConn Avery Point.

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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.