UMass has been the top rebounding team in the Atlantic 10, one of the strongest teams on the glass in the nation all season long and consistently dominated opponents, unfortunately that hasn't been the case tonight. Behind a 26-14 rebounding advantage, including 11 offensive rebounds, Rhode Island grabbed a 36-32 halftime lead.
The Minutemen jumped to an 11-5 lead on the Rams five minutes behind five quick points from sophomore guard Jesse Morgan. Morgan and reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Raphiael Putney both finished with a team-high eight points for UMass.
Rhode Island was led by senior forward Orion Outerbridge who put up a game-high 15 points and six rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting. Point guard Mike Powell added eight points and two assists.
The Rams were able to close the deficit midway through the half and earned their first lead of the night with 25 seconds to play. A Powell 3-pointer, followed by a TJ Buchanan layup at the buzzer, capped a 7-1 run to close the half for Rhode Island.