Plymouth St. PSUMBB 7-9, 1-7 LEC

Rhode Island College RICMBB 5-10, 3-4 LEC

Plymouth St. PSUMBB

7-9, 1-7 LEC

Final

Jan. 14, 2023

Rhode Island College RICMBB

5-10, 3-4 LEC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Plymouth St. PSUMBB	36	36	72
Rhode Island College RICMBB	34	45	79

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/14/2023 6:53:00 PM | Christopher J. Kilmer, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletics Communications

MBB: Late spurt lifts RIC over Panthers

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Plymouth State University trailed by just three points in the final minute of regulation, but Rhode Island College closed the game with a bucket and two free throws to hold on for a 79-72 win over the Panthers in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's basketball game at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drilled a jumper with 38 seconds remaining to pull the Panthers to within three, 75-72, but RIC scored on its ensuing possession. PSU was unable to convert at the other end, but the Anchormen missed a pair of free throws to keep the Panthers' hopes alive.

The RIC defense forced a pair of missed shots, however, and the hosts were successful from the charity stripe with seven seconds remaining to close out the victory.

Junior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) scored a team-high 25 points, including PSU's first 15 points of the game. Tsiklauri had his best offensive game since the opening week of the season, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Plymouth State slips to 7-9 (1-7 LEC), while the Anchormen improve to 5-10 and 3-4 in conference play.

The Basics:

Plymouth State 72, RIC 79
- Plymouth State (7-9, 1-7 LEC)
- RIC (5-10, 3-4 LEC)

How it Happened:

The teams went back-and-forth to open the contest, with the Anchormen holding an 11-5 lead after the first 4:24.
Bosse poured in the first 15 points for PSU, including three three-pointers, with his jumper cutting the deficit to 17-15 with 11:20 left in the half.
RIC answered from inside, but the Panthers took control with a 14-0 run behind Tsiklauri's sharp shooting. The 6-4 guard knocked down three triples and had 11 points in the run, with senior Ty Thomas (Manchester, N.H.) also connecting from beyond the arc to give PSU a 29-19 lead.
Thomas got to the basket with under four minutes remaining as the Panthers took their largest lead of the game, 33-21, with 3:49 left in the half.
RIC got to within one late in the half, but a free throw from freshman Maxwell Galbraith (Hanover, N.H.) gave the Panthers a two-point cushion, 36-34, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
The teams see-sawed with the lead trading hands several times over the first five minutes of the second half.
The hosts knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 52-52 with 12:33 remaining, but junior Rylan Canabano (Concord, N.H.) hit from deep to restore the lead.
The game was knotted again, 56-56, with 9:21 to play, before the hosts jumped in front for good.
PSU cut the deficit to one, 63-62, on Tsiklauri's layup, but the Anchormen responded with an 11-3 run to make it a nine-point game.
Tsiklauri's jumper pulled the Panthers to within 75-72 with only 38 seconds remaining, but the hosts answered immediately at the other end. PSU went cold from the field, missing three straight shots, and RIC iced the game with a pair of free throws in the final seconds.

By the Numbers:

Bosse finished with 25 points on 11-of-23 shooting, including 3-of-6 from distance. He added eight boards and five assists to his stat line and was especially impressive in the opening half. Over the first 20 minutes he nailed 6-of-8 shots, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, for 15 points.
Tsiklauri reached the 20-point threshold for the first time since the team's second game of the year, matching a season-high with four threes. He added five rebounds and five assists.
Junior Alex Dean (Reading, Mass.) and Thomas added eight points apiece, while Canabano chipped in seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals.
PSU went 28-of-73 from the floor (38.4%) and made 12-of-36 (33.3%) from deep.
The Anchormen caught fire in the second half, shooting nearly 60% over the 20 minutes, to finish 28-of-54 (51.9%) for the game.
RIC held a 46-36 edge on the boards.
The back-and-forth game saw 12 lead changes and two ties.
The teams have split the last 12 meetings.