GORHAM, Maine – Isiah McCallam hit a layup for the go-ahead basket with 1:00 remaining in regulation and the Rhode Island College Anchormen closed the game out on the free throw line to earn a 70-66 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Hill Gymnasium.
McCallam finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals and was one of four RIC players in double-figures. Isaiah Dahl led all scorers with 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting from three, while Ousmane Kourouma notched a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Deyshawn Tengbeh also had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Kourouma and Tengbeh led RIC to a 52-30 lead on the boards.
Senior
Cody Hawes (Carmel, Maine/Hermon) lead Southern Maine with 19 points, five steals, three assists and three rebounds. Senior
Chance Dixon (Lake Worth, Fla./Santaluces) had 12 points and three assists, while freshman
Brady Saunders (Brewer, Maine) added eight points and four rebounds.
The Records:
Rhode Island College (8-2, 2-0 Little East)
Southern Maine (4-4, 0-2 Little East)
Today's game marked the 144
th meeting between the Rhode Island College Anchormen and the University of Southern Maine Huskies. Rhode Island College leads the overall series 78-66. Southern Maine claimed the last meeting, 89-76, on January 25, 2023. The win ended a 12-game losing streak to RIC.
Cody Hawes had 28 points to lead USM in the January 25 matchup.
How It Happened:
- After trailing by seven early, 14-7, the Huskies rallied to tie the game with a 7-0 run capped by a three from freshman Justin Allen (Franklin, Mass.) with 10:45 until the break. Both teams went back and forth over the next six minutes. McCallam put RIC ahead 27-25 with a layup at the 4:05 mark before the Huskies rattled off 10 straight points highlighted by back-to-back three from Dixon for a 35-27 advantage with 1:49 on the clock. KJ Uga hit the final basket of the half to trim RIC's deficit to 35-30.
- RIC outscored USM 7-2 to open the second half, including a five-point swing from Dahl on a jumper and a three to tie the game up at 37 with 18:14 to go. USM responded with a traditional three-point play from sophomore Tommy Whelan (Bronx, N.Y.) to retake the lead 40-37, but the Anchormen scored the next 10 points of the game to surge ahead 47-40 with 15:37 on the clock. Four different players scored for RIC in the run led by four points from Tengbeh.
- Dixon stemmed the RIC run with a layup but Tengbeh gave the Anchormen their largest lead, 50-42, with a layup and a free throw on the next play. Down by eight, it was USM's turn to surge ahead as the Huskies went on a 10-0 run keyed by back-to-back threes from Hawes and a go-ahead bucket from Whelan for a 52-50 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.
- USM stayed in front but never had more than a two-possession lead after the run. A three from Hawes at the 5:14 mark had the Huskies up 62-58, but two free throws from RIC's Lourouma and a three from Dahl under the four-minute mark made it a 63-62 game in favor of the Anchormen.
- The Huskies responded again on a layup from Saunders and two free throws from Dixon for a 66-63 USM lead with 1:47 to play, but RIC was fouled on the next possession converting two, and CJ Wilson forced USM into a turnover on the next play and McCallam converted on the other end for a narrow 67-66 lead with 1:00 on the clock. From there USM was unable to score again, and RIC went 3-for-4 from the line for the 70-66 final.
Inside The Stats:
- RIC outscored USM 30-16 in the paint, and had a 15-11 edge in second chance points – thanks in part to 20 offensive rebounds. Tengbeh had six offensive rebounds, while Kourouma and McCallum each had five.
- Southern Maine outscored RIC 29-18 off of turnovers. The Huskies committed just 12 turnovers to RIC's 21.
Up Next:
Southern Maine hosts Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, December 9 (3:30 pm). The Huskies are off for the semester break and will return to action at home on December 29 (3:00 pm) against Nichols.
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