BOSTON, Mass. – Led by Sam Freeman's (Boston, Mass.) double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) 14 rebounds men's basketball grabbed a huge Little East Conference win as they defeated Rhode Island College 81-63 Saturday afternoon in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 81, Rhode Island College 63

UMass Boston (9-4, 2-1 Little East Conference)
Rhode Island College (6-7, 0-3 Little East Conference)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Freeman finished the win 9-for-19 from the field, and four of his 10 boards came on the offensive glass.  For Powers, 13 of his 14 boards came on the defensive side of the court, while also dropping in nine points in the huge conference victory. 

Off the bench Careem Kirksey (Dorchester, Mass.) also had a strong game, as he went 5-for-10 from the field which included two of the Beacons eight three pointers. 

From behind the arc, the Beacons were red-hot all afternoon as they shot 66.7% overall (8-12). Defensively the Beacons also had a strong performance as they held the Anchormen to just 37.5% from the field, and forced a combined 16 turnovers.

The Beacons consistency at the free throw line also continued as they shot 81.3% (13-16), while from the field the finished off RIC shooting 48.4%. 

On the glass the Beacons held a 40-38 advantage over RIC, who has now dropped two straight to the Beacons.

Benjamin Vezele and Jovel Beckford led the Anchormen's offense with 14 points each, while Vezele also grabbed 10 rebounds for the team's lone double-double.

BY THE NUMBERS

• UMass Boston has now won two straight games over the Anchormen for the first time since 2005-06
• The Beacons 2-1 record in conference play keeps them two-way tied for third in the conference standings alongside Keene State College
• To date the Beacons lead the Little East Conference at the free throw line, while their 84.7 points per game against conference opponents has them sitting second overall

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will travel to Plymouth State University on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. conference game.