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In its second game of the Orlando Classic, Santa Clara lost 66-44 to Rhode Island in Orlando, Fla. on Friday. SCU is 2-4 and Rhode Island is 4-1. Santa Clara will play Rider game on at 7:30 am Pacific on ESPN3 on Sun., Nov. 30 in its final game of the Orlando Classic in Orlando, Fla.
Santa Clara shot 39.0 percent from the field (16-41), including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (5-15). SCU collected 17 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, four steals and shot 77.8 percent from the free throw line (7-9).
Santa Clara was led by Brandon Clark who scored 14 points on 5-10 shooting. Matthew Hubbard scored 10 points with four rebounds and Jared Brownridge scored seven to go with two boards and an assist.
Rhode Island shot 53.2 percent from the field (25-47), including 44.4 percent from beyond the arc (8-18). The Rams collected 31 rebounds, 14 assists, three blocks, seven steals and shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line (8-12).
URI was led by E.C. Matthews who scored a game-high 19 points on 7-9 shooting and 5-7 from deep. Jared Terrell added 13 points with two rebounds and two assists while Earl Watson added five points and five rebounds.
Brownridge and Hubbard started the game with back-to-back threes and the Broncos led 6-2 at 18:22. URI responded with a 9-2 run, taking an 11-8 lead at 14:36.
Hubbard tipped it in at 13:16 and Brownridge stole the ball for a break-away layup at 12:52. Denzel Johnson and Jarvis Pugh added baskets in the lane to tie it up 19-19 at 12:48.
URI responded with a 5-0 run. Clark's NBA-length three tied it up 19-19 at 8:48, but URI went on an 11-4 to take a 30-23 lead.
Wardlow (5:11) and Clark (4:13) scored back-to-back baskets to pull SCU within five, 30-25. URI added five to its lead before Hubbard scored under the basket with eight seconds left.
URI led 35-27 at the half. Clark had nine points in the first half, Hubbard seven and Brownridge five. Matthews led URI with 11 points and Terrell added 10.
URI started the second half on a 19-0 run to build a 22-point lead, 49-27. Clark scored a pair of free throws at 10:22. It was the Broncos' first trip to the line in the game.
Clark scored the Broncos' first field goal in the second half, a three, at 8:59. It was SCU's first basket since :08 in the first half (Hubbard). Brownridge added a pair of free throws at 6:46, but Matthews answered with a three. Scoring the team's second basket of the half, Hubbard laid it up at 6:04.
URI continued to build its lead on a layup by Gilvydas Biruta at 5:23, 59-36. Graduate walk-on Dominic Romeo checked in with 1:53 to play to receive his first time this season. He scored a free throw with 1:42 left.
Edwards added a free throw and Healy hit a three with 57 seconds left to pull the Broncos within 20, 64-44 URI. Earl Watson dunked it with 26 seconds left.
Game notes: Santa Clara started Brandon Clark, Jared Brownridge, Denzel Johnson, Jarvis Pugh and Matt Hubbard. … Senior forward Yannick Atanga (6-8, 225) is out with a knee injury … Redshirt-freshman Emmanual Ndumanya (6-9, 270) is out with a left foot injury … Graduate walk-on Dominic Romeo played the final 1:53 of the game, seeing his first action this season.