Rhode Island puts away St. Bonaventure 87-78

Feb 22, 2014, 06:34 pm

SAINT BONAVENTURE, N.Y. -- Xavier Munford poured in 32 points and E.C. Matthews added 24 as Rhode Island put away St. Bonaventure 87-78 on Saturday.

The Rams (12-16, 3-10 Atlantic 10) shot 50 percent from the floor, with Munford shooting 10 of 19 and Matthews finishing 8 of 16. Gilvydas Biruta contributed 11 points.

St. Bonaventure (16-11, 6-7) went 4 of 16 from the perimeter and had a 40-26 disadvantage in rebounding. Youssou Ndoye finished with 21 points and Matthew Wright had 20.

The Bonnies led 43-33 at halftime, but Rhode Island stormed into the lead in the second half with a 12-2 run fueled by 10 points from Munford. St. Bonaventure pushed back into a five-point lead, but Matthews hit a layup, 3-pointer and two free throws to pull ahead by four with 2:25 remaining.

A three-point play by Biruta and a 10-for-10 finish from the line put the game out of reach.