OSWEGO, NY –Antone Gray scored a game-high 19 points to lift Rhode Island past Penn State Behrend, 83-54 in NCAA first-round action at the Max Ziel Gymnasium, Friday.
The Anchorman (20-7) were helped out by Mike Akinrola's 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field. Gray also chipped in five assists in the win.
Senior guard Justin Kovac scored a season-high 17 points in his final game as a Lion (23-5), while Chris Saltzman and Russ Conley netted 11 and 10, respectively.
A Kovac triple brought Behrend within two points (16-18) with 9:52 left to play in the first half. Rhode Island responded by going on a 14-4 run over the next three minutes (20-32). The Lions were never able to get back into the game.
The Anchorman took a 44-25 first-half lead after shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 50.0 percent on 4-for-8 shooting from deep.
Sitting out with early foul trouble, Saltzman returned in the second half to tally 11 points but wasn't enough to close the Behrend deficit. Rhode Island moves on to the second-round action after defeating the Lions, 83-54.