Rhode Island (3-1) vs. North Texas (2-3)
Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, Jamaica; Friday, 4:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Rhode Island and North Texas both look to put winning streaks together . Both teams earned home victories this past Tuesday. North Texas earned an 80-60 win over NC A&T, while Rhode Island won 70-65 over Nicholls State.
STEPPING UP: The dynamic Fatts Russell is averaging 17.3 points, 5.5 assists and 3.8 steals to lead the way for the Rams. Cyril Langevine is also a key contributor, producing 11 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Mean Green have been led by Umoja Gibson, who is averaging 11.4 points.
CREATING OFFENSE: Russell has been directly responsible for 40 percent of all Rhode Island field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has 16 field goals and 15 assists in those games.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Rams have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Mean Green. North Texas has 27 assists on 61 field goals (44.3 percent) across its previous three games while Rhode Island has assists on 40 of 77 field goals (51.9 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: North Texas is ranked second among CUSA teams with an offensive rebound percentage of 37.7 percent. The Mean Green have averaged 11 offensive boards per game.
