Rhode Island whips Davidson 84-60 to make A-10 finals (Mar 11, 2017)
PITTSBURGH (AP) E.C. Matthews scored 19 points, hitting all four of his 3-point attempts, and fourth-seeded Rhode Island cruised into the championship game of the Atlantic 10 tournament with an 84-60 win over ninth-seeded Davidson on Saturday.
Hassan Martin added 16 points and Kuran Iverson had 12 for the Rams (23-9), who face second-seeded VCU winner in Sunday's championship.
Matthews had 14 points in the first half when Rhode Island made 9 of 12 from distance and shot 59 percent to open a 46-34 lead.
Matthews and Jared Terrell hit back-to-back 3s and Martin made a jumper on the next possession. Nicola Akele followed with 3 and the 11-0 run made it 33-19 at the 6:42 mark. The lead remained in double figures the rest of the way.
The Wildcats (17-15), who knocked off top-seeded Dayton in the quarterfinals, was never able to mount a second-half challenge, making just 6 of 20 shots.
Jack Gibbs scored 17 points, moving to third on the Davidson career scoring list with 2,036. Peyton Aldridge added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
