PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Regis (Mass.) men's basketball team fell just short of an epic second half comeback on Sunday afternoon, but a 16-point deficit with under seven minutes left to play proved too much to handle as the Pride fell 74-72 to Rhode Island College in non-conference action at the Murray Center.
With the loss, Regis falls to 2-3 on the season, while Rhode Island College improves to 2-3.
The Pride led for the majority of the first half, but a late run by the Anchormen saw the hosts take a 44-32 advantage into the break.
Regis led by as much as six in the opening frame, as senior guard Roger Hamel (Huntington Beach, Calif.) hit his third three of the half to extend the lead to 17-11 at the 13:29 mark.
Regis was ahead 27-24 with 6:11 left in the half, but the Anchormen would begin their run, starting when freshman guard Adham Floyd (Worcester, Mass.) converted three of three free throws after being fouled attempting a triple. The free throws sparked a 10-0 Anchormen run that put them on top by a score of 34-27 with just over five minutes left in the half.
Hamel led all players in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 15 points for the Pride. CJ Donaldson (Bridgeport, Conn.) paced the Anchormen, scoring 11 in the half.
Rhode Island College's lead hovered around 12 for most of the second half, and the Anchormen took their largest lead with 6:54 remaining, going up by 16 on a Grant Gillis (Jamestown, R.I.) layup to make the score 72-56.
The Pride refused to go down quietly however, scoring 16 of the game's next 18 point to cut the deficit to 74-72 with 1:39 to play, capped by a pair of Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.) free throws. Neither team could find the basket the rest of the way. The Pride got one last chance to win the game, but a three-pointer by Afonja was long with four seconds remaining and the Anchormen escaped with a narrow win.
Hamel finished the day as the game's leading scorer, recording 20 points. Jordan Seldon (Dorchester, Mass.) was also in double figures for the Pride with 15 points. Rhode Island College had five playes in double figures on the afternoon, led by Floyd with 14 points. Gillis recorded the day's only double-double, scoring 13 points and recording 11 rebounds on the day for the Anchormen.
The Anchormen will return to action on Tuesday evening, hosting Salem State at 7:00 p.m. Regis will look to return to the win column with its first ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference game the same night, hosting Anna Maria at 6:00 p.m. at Higgins Court.
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