Pride Men's Hoop Falls to Anchormen in Home Opener

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College managed to stay competitive with Rhode Island College, but the Anchormen prevailed over the Pride, 90-76, Saturday afternoon in a non-conference men's basketball contest at Higgins Court.

Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) shot 4-of-9 from three-point range as he led the Pride in scoring with 20 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds. Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) finished with 18 points and five rebounds, shooting 6-of-10 from the field. Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass) added 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists while Jalil Wilkerson (New Haven, Conn.) contributed 12 points and five assists. Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass) came off the bench and provided seven points in 19 minutes.

The visitors took an early lead on two straight baskets from Shion Darby and never let it go. The Anchormen, led by Keyshaun Jacobs and Darby, went up by 16 with 8:48 remaining in the first half. By the end of the half, Regis was able to cut the Anchorman lead to four points at 38-34 thanks to a three-pointer by Evelyn and a pair of free throws from Rau to finish the half.

Rhode Island College (4-0) came out strong in the second half, starting off on a 16-4 scoring run with baskets from Ousame Kourouma, Darby, and Jacobs. The Anchormen would enjoy their largest lead of the night when Xavier Landers hit a layup off an assist from Jacobs to put them up, 85-67. Rau and Evelyn continued to shoot well in the second half, with Evelyn hitting a trio of three-pointers and Rau adding 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the half.

Regis finished the game shooting 44.3% (27-of-61) from the field and 36.8% (7-of-19) from three-point range. Both teams scored 19 points off of their opponent's turnovers.

Rhode Island College was led by Jacobs with 32 points in part on 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Kourouma added 19 points and 15 rebounds while Jordan Riley finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, earning both of them a double-double. Darby contributed 19 points, three assists, and four rebounds. As a team, the Anchormen shot 53.1% (34-of-64) from the field and outrebounded the Pride, 48-25.

Regis (1-4) next travels to Framingham State in a non-conference matchup Tuesday, Nov. 23, beginning at 7:30 p.m., before returning home Wednesday, Dec. 1, to continue conference play against Dean College starting at 8 p.m. Rhode Island College also plays a non-conference game Tuesday night, hosting Bridgewater State starting at 7:30 p.m.