Freshman Keith Cothran and the Rams travel to Amherst, Mass. to face the Minutemen in an A-10 first place rematch on Thursday night

Feb. 7, 2007

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KINGSTON, R.I. -- For the fourth straight contest, Rhode Island will be playing in a game which has first place implications in the Atlantic 10 conference.

But if you think that is an unwanted pressure for head coach Jim Baron and the Rams (14-9, 7-2 A-10) as they travel to take on Massachusetts on Thursday night, you'd be wrong.

"When you get to February, every game takes on an added importance." said Baron. "For us, to play four straight games with first place on the line means that we're in a good position right now. But it's also important to not look ahead. You have to take a game-by-game mentality and we have a tough matchup on Thursday night."

The game, tipping off at 8 p.m. at the Mullins Center, will be televised on College Sports Television (Direct TV channel 610), with Tom McCarthy and former Virginia and Providence head coach Pete Gillen calling the action.

Rhode Island has captured its last three road games in conference play, beginning with the Jan. 13 win at Saint Joseph's and continuing through URI's 45-44 win at Fordham on Feb. 3. Baron attributes his team's road success to several factors.

"It's been a combination of a couple of things. We've played good defense on the road, especially from our guards." Baron explained. "Parfait Bitee - I look at him as one of best defensive guards in the league. Keith Cothran also gives us a boost off the bench, as well as Terence Grier. And we've been able to score - both from the free throw line and the field. The combination of defense and scoring has been a real big positive for us. But we're continuing to see what's working and make the necessary adjustments."

Head coach Travis Ford's UMass squad has posted a 16-6 overall record, including a 6-2 mark in Atlantic 10 play. Last time out, on Feb. 3, Massachusetts earned a 72-56 win at home over Richmond. Four Minutemen average double-figures in scoring, led by Rashaun Freeman's 17.0 points per game. He leads the A-10 in field goal percentage (.632) and is third in rebounding (8.6 rpg).

Stephane Lasme is averaging 12.9 points and an A-10 best 9.7 rebounds per contest. James Life (12.8) and Gary Forbes (12.3) are the other double-figure scorers for UMass. The Minutemen are 7-2 overall and 4-0 in league play at the Mullins Center this season.

"I said it before the first game and it hasn't changed much - Freeman and Lasme are monsters inside." Baron stated. "And I think we saw what kind of player James Life is, defensively. He did a tremendous job limiting our perimeter looks, while making sure he knocked down his shots. The same focus points we had entering the first game are the same ones we have for tomorrow."

On Jan. 24, on "Pink Out" night at the Ryan Center, URI downed UMass, 75-72 in front of 7,021 fans - including a record 2,657 students. Will Daniels scored a game-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes of action. Rhody shot a perfect 14-of-14 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory. The Rams outrebounded the Minutemen, 37-32, and connected on 33-of-43 from the free throw line - good for 76.7%.

UMass leads the all-time series between the two schools, 72-55. The Minutemen are URI's third-most common opponent, having met on the hardwood 127 previous times. Over the last 11 meetings between the two schools, dating back to the 2001-02 season, URI holds a narrow 6-5 lead in those games.

In addition to the television coverage, this and every Rams game will be broadcast live on WHJJ 920 am and 99.3 The Bridge FM. The audio feed will also be live on the internet via Yahoo! Sports. Steve McDonald and URI Hall of Famer Don Kaull will call all the action for the Rhode Island.