PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Junior forward Benjamin Vezele (Providence, R.I.) recorded a double-double with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Rhode Island College men's basketball team to a 77-62 victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Tuesday night at the Murray Center.
The host Anchormen improve to 5-1 on the season, while the Bears fall to 0-4.
RIC sophomore guard Adham Floyd (Worcester, Mass.) also tallied a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals. Freshman guard Deyshawn Tengbeh (East Providence, R.I.) tallied 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, while senior forward Justin Campbell (New Haven, Conn.) was also in double-figures with 10 points and eight rebounds in the victory. Junior guard Jonatan Batista (Providence, R.I.) notched a career-best 12 assists and chipped in with five points and five rebounds.
Junior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) paced Bridgewater State with a double-double as he registered 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Junior forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) notched 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) added 11 points, five boards and four assists for the Bears.
Bridgewater held a 4-3 lead 1:17 into the game following a Nick Crocker layup. The Anchormen outscored the Bears 17-3 over the next nine minutes to pull ahead, 20-7. RIC would ultimately take a 30-18 lead into the break.
Both teams combined for 24 turnovers (BSU: 13; RIC: 11) in the first half, while RIC held a 30-18 advantage in rebounding. Floyd was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including two long balls, for a 10-point first half effort.
The Anchormen got up by as many as 21 points (52-31) in the second half.
The Bears used an 11-1 run to pull to within ten (57-47) with 5:32 left to play. Five different players scored during the spurt which was highlighted by a Corey Green (Taunton, Mass.) three-pointer and a Brian Grant (Hyde Park, Mass.) traditional three-point play.
Floyd knocked down a three-pointer to break up the run and the Anchormen's lead would get no lower than 13 points the rest of the way.
RIC shot 43% (31-of-73) from the field, 23% (5-of-22) from three-point range and 77% (10-of-13) at the charity stripe. The Bears were unable to find a shooting rhythm throughout the contest as the visitors shot just 28% (23-of-81) from the floor and finished 8-for-31 (25.8%) from downtown. The Bears did connect on 8-of-10 (80%) free throw attempts.
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host the University of Saint Joseph on Sunday, November 25th at 1:00 PM. Bridgewater State is off until Thursday, November 29th when the Bears travel to Dean College for a seven o'clock game with the Bulldogs.