Matthews helps No. 23 Rhode Island beat Dartmouth 84-60
KINGSTON, R.I. (AP) A total of 364 days elapsed between games for No. 23 Rhode Island's E.C Matthews.
Matthews, who missed all but 10 minutes of last season after tearing his right ACL, played like he never missed any time as he scored 21 points Friday night to key an 84-61 victory over Dartmouth in the season opener for both teams.
''It was amazing just being out there with my teammates,'' Matthews said after connecting on 75 percent (9-for-12) of his shots. ''I almost forgot because it's been so long. You could feel the excitement in the air.
''Coach (Dan Hurley) had to calm me down. He called me last night to let me know just to let it come. It felt good to be back. I've been doing this my whole life. Just being comfortable and reading and reacting and having a good pace are important.''
Matthews was one of a trio of Rams who scored in double figures.
Hassan Martin recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Kuran Iverson added 11 points.
Rhode Island's suffocating, man-to-man defense also factored in the Rams lop-sided victory.
''We got separation in the second half,'' Hurley said. ''We played a level of defense that was an elite defense. We held them to 35 percent from the field and forced 20 turnovers. That's kind of who we are.''
The Big Green, who trailed 39-26 at halftime, was led by Evan Boudreaux's 14 points and Guilen Smith's 13.
''We got off to a slow start on defense,'' Hurley said. ''I thought we were jittery to start. At the first timeout we did not do a real good job but then we picked it up.
''We were hoping to have 22 to 24 steals. We wanted to keep them under 38 percent from the field and we did that. But our defense has to be an elite defense for us. We have a lot of athletes. We come at people in waves.''
BIG PICTURE
Dartmouth: First-year head coach Dave McLaughlin inherits a team that was 10-18 last season and includes six freshmen on its roster. In order for the Big Green to qualify for the Ivy League's first-ever, post-season tournament (the top four teams qualify) they'll have to improve on last season's sixth-place finish.
Rhode Island: After defeating Dartmouth, the Rams play home games against Marist College and Brown University which should give coach Dan Hurley an idea of the players he can count on to play meaningful minutes. That will be important because the Rams play a potential Top 25-calibre team in Cincinnati at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena on November 19.
POLL IMPLICATIONS: A lop-sided victory could ensure that Rhode Island remains ranked in the Top 25 and that the Rams may move up a notch in the next poll.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Rhode Island had 11 assists, turned the ball over 11 times and blocked 11 shots.
STAR WATCH: Hassan Martin began the game as Rhode Island's career leader in field goal percentage (57.3 percent). That percentage should go up a couple of decimal points because Martin only missed one of his six shots.
TURNING POINT: Rhode Island led 32-24 with 4:02 left in the first half when Christion Thompson stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a dunk. That play ignited a 21-6 run which gave the Rams a 53-30 lead. Dartmouth failed to get closer than the final score.
ROLE PLAYER: Sophomore Nicole Akele came off the bench to score nine points in 17 minutes. Even though this only was one game, Akele's play may be an indication of Rhode Island's depth.
SAME OLD STORY: The Big Green committed 401 turnovers last season and ranked seventh in the Ivy League in assist-to-turnover ratio. Dartmouth repeated that scenario by turning the ball over 20 times and assisting on only six baskets.
UP NEXT;
Dartmouth: The Big Green return home on November 15 to host Fairfield in another non-conference game. The Stags are coming off a 19-victory season during which they earned a post-season berth.
Rhode Island: The Rams host Marist College on November 14. The Red Foxes, who lost to No. 1 Duke on Friday, finished 7-23 last season and 4-16 in the MAAC