December 2006

Lady Knight Halt undefeated Harcum 67-65 to improve record to 7-2

The CCRI Lady Knights basketball team halted previously unbeaten Harcum College 67-65. With the victory the Lady Knights improve their record to 7-2 Harcum falls to 7-1.

The Lady Knights started off sluggish as they found themselves down 38-32 at halftime. The hangover lasted into the second half as Harcum extended their lead to 15 with 12 minutes left. At that point Head Coach Marcus Reilly called a time out and challenged his team to play harder and changed to a full court man-to-man press. The adjustment sparked the Lady Knights as they held Harcum scoreless for nearly six minutes allowing them to pull within three points of Harcum. In the closing minutes Co-Captain Ana Sierra (Bronx, NY) came up big with two crucial offensive rebounds which she turned into baskets to give the Lady Knights the lead. Michelle McNamee (Cranston, RI) scored a lay-up on a pass from Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY) to give the Lady Knights the lead with 35 seconds left. Harcum’s Chantal Hardy missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with three seconds left followed by Angela Brown who was fouled and made 1-2 free throws to make the final 67-65.

Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY) led three Lady Knights in double figures scoring 15 points with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals followed by Co-Captain Jenny Kinney (Milford, NJ) who scored 14 including two 3-pointers with three rebounds and two steals, and Co-Captain Ana Sierra (Bronx, NY) who scored 12 with two huge rebounds and a steal. Also contributing for the Lady Knights were Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) who ripped down 12 boards with five points, two assists and two steals, Jessica DiFazio (Coventry, RI) who scored seven points while Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY) scored six points with seven rebounds and Michelle McNamee (Cranston, RI) added six points with two assists and a steal.

Head Coach Marcus Reilly said "Our kids showed the character and guts necessary to come from behind on the road and beat a very good Harcum team. Despite some offensive struggles, our defense kept us close and gave us the chance to win late."

The Lady Knights will not play again until next Semester when they travel to Florida to play three top Division I programs: Miami-Dade CC on January 3^rd, Broward CC on the 4^th, and Palm Beach CC on the 6^th.

Clarke leads Lady Knights past Mercer County CC 78-52 to improve record to 6-2

The CCRI Lady Knights basketball team sowed no mercy defeating northeast power Mercer County Community College 78-52 in the Mercer Mixer Invitational. With the win the Lady Knights improve their record to 6-2 on the season.

The Lady Knights controlled the tempo from the opening tip but the shots weren’t falling in but were still able to go into halftime with a 29-20 lead. In the second half the Lady Knight offense kicked into high gear as they outscored Mercer 49-32. A spectacular team effort as every Lady Knight scored and played great defense for forty minutes led by Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) and Co-Captain Jenny Kinney (Milford, NJ) who held Mercer’s two tough post players, pre-season All-American Patti Foley (16.5 ppg) and Division I transfer Charlene Phelps (20.6ppg), in check limiting them to just 25 points combined well below their season averages.

Kristen Clarke (Cranston, RI) led three Lady Knights in double figures scoring 15 points with five rebounds and four assists followed by Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY) who scored 14 points with five rebounds and two steals, and Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY) with 13 points six rebounds and two steals. Also contributing for the Lady Knights were Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) scoring nine with three rebounds, Michelle McNamee (Cranston, RI) and Guylene Nsiewe (Doula, Cameroon, Africa) added six points each.

Head Coach Marcus Reilly commented: "We have been challenging our ladies to be more consistent on both ends of the court for 40 minutes rather than relying on one scoring burst to win the game. They responded in a big way today with a decisive win over a quality opponent. We consistently executed the on offense after getting stops on the defensive end. We are very pleased with the team’s performance."

The Lady Knights will face 7-0 Harcum College on Sunday at noon the team they defeated in the District Tournament last year. Harcum defeated Hagerstown in their round one match-up 83-62.

Knights rock Roxbury 98-54 to improve to 9-4 and 7-0 in Region XXI

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team defeated the Tigers of Roxbury CC 98-54. With the victory the Knights improve their overall record to 9-4 and 7-0 in Region XXI.

The Knights started off slowly with just a five point lead at 28-23 at the 5:28 mark of the first half but four 3-pointers from Pat Dame (West Greenwich, RI) helped the Knights increased their lead to 48-34 at the half. In the second half the Knights ratcheted up the defense and held Roxbury to just seven points in the first ten minutes increasing their lead to 70-41 at the 10:01 mark from their the Knights rolled to a 98-54 victory. This was an excellent team performance as the Knights charted a season-high 28 assists as a team which led to the Knights shooting 56% from the field.

Pat Dame (West Greenwich, R) led the way for the Knights with 16 points, eight assists and two steals as did Carl Lee (Warwick, RI) who scored 16 with three steals. Co-Captain Will Lyons (Warwick, RI) had an excellent game with 15 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots, Jamiel Nisbett (Marlboro, MA) also scored 15 points with five rebounds and two steals, and Kenny Portee (Brooklyn, NY) added a season-high five assists to go with his four points.

Knights Head Coach Rick Harris said: "For a good portion of the first half we played to the level of our opponent. However, I was quite pleased with our intensity and team work in the second half from the entire team. When we play with intensity and enthusiasm we are capable of great things. Hopefully we can learn this and become the team that I think we are capable of becoming"

The Knights next home game will be Saturday January 13^th versus Mohawk Valley CC at 3:00pm following the Lady Knights game versus Mohawk at 1:00pm at the Vincent A. Cullen Field House on the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick.

CCRI Lady Knights Barbosa named First Team NSCAA All-American

CCRI Lady Knights Sophomore defender and Co-Captain Sharon Barbosa (Fall River, MA) earned yet another post-season award with her selection to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First Team All-American.

Barbosa had already earned First Team All-Northeast Region by NSCA along with being named Second Team All-American by the NJCAA in Division I and Region XXI first Team All-Region for the second straight year.

Barbosa, a defender, tallied one goal and five assists on the season. As a defender she was not known for her scoring but her ability to stop others from scoring. Sharon always seemed to be around the ball and played a key role in the Lady Knights seven shutouts this season. Barbosa was also a team leader serving as Co-Captain on a team that was almost half freshmen. Her experience is something that her younger teammates were able to benefit from throughout the season both on and off the field.

CCRI Lady Knights Head Women’s Soccer Coach Dennis Grassini had this to say about his star defender: "It is such a pleasure to see such a deserving defender really getting recognized! Because defenders generally do not score a lot of points they rarely get noticed and or recognized for their efforts. Sharon has been such a steady all around player for our program for the last two years. She was a great co-captain and team leader; moreover she is just a very good person. The coaching staff is so elated that Sharon has been recognized as an All-American by both the NJCAA and the NSCAA. The recognition she has received is truly not a surprise to the coaching staff in any way."

CCRI Lady Knights Grassini named Second Team NSCAA All-American

CCRI Lady Knights Freshman Midfielder Stephanie Grassini (Warwick, RI) earned her third award of her short collegiate career by being selected as National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-American.

Grassini had already earned NSCAA First Team All-Northeast Region and First Team All-Region XXI this year.Grassini, a Midfielder, tallied 22 points in her freshman year with eight goals and six assists including three game winning goals. Stephanie is the youngest daughter of CCRI Head Women’s Soccer Coach Dennis Grassini and in watching her play you can see that she has been trained since an early age to become an elite women’s soccer player. Often times on the field she was the smallest player in stature but played with the biggest heart never backing down and delivering key plays in clutch situations.

Head Women’s Soccer Coach and proud father Dennis Grassini had this to say about Stephanie: "Stephanie is a very talented player as recognized by the votes that she has received in being named all N.E. Region 21, NSCAA All-Northeast Region, and NSCAA second team All-American as just a freshman midfielder. All of our student-athletes worked very, very hard and Stephanie was no different. On a personal note I am extremely proud of all of Stephanie’s past and present soccer accomplishments. This accomplishment is even more special to me as her parent as I know first hand how much time and effort she put in all year round and prior to attending CCRI to achieve these goals. The coaching staff is very proud of her!"

CCRI Knights and Lady Knights run hard at Harvard Invitational

The CCRI Knights indoor track team participated in their first meet of the year over the weekend at the Harvard Invitational in Cambridge, MA. The Harvard invitational features the top runners in the Northeast competing as college teams, running teams and individually. In total the Knights and Lady Knights competed in six events at the Harvard Invitational.

On the Men’s side the Knights were led by Ben Stiles (Narragansett, RI) who finished 9^th in the Triple Jump with a leap of 12.17m. Yeison Berdugo (Providence, RI) had the highest finish among the Knight runners finishing 16^th in the 400m in a time of 52.34 he was followed by Eben Dente (North Providence, RI) who finished 41^st in a time of 55.17. Also running well was Hunter Stewart (Foster, RI) who finished 18^th in the 500m in 1:09.71 even while being bumped and spiked during the race he still showed great competitive spirit to finish well followed by Adam DeCoste (Narragansett, RI) who finished 25^th in a time of 1:11.65. In the 200m race DeCoste finished 18^th in a time of 23.77 followed by Berdugo who finished 24^th in 24.02, Stewart who finished 30^th in 24.29, Dente who finished 59^th in 25.7, and Stiles who finished 67^th in 26.29.

On the women’s side the Lady Knights only competed in one event the Mile where Rachael Procter (East Providence, RI) who finished 29^th in 6:16.95 immediately followed by Kristin Vanhouwe (North Scituate, RI) finishing 30^th in 6:19.61.

Overall it was a good meet for the Knights who were competing in their first meet of the year against some of the stiffest competition in the Northeast such a challenge will benefit them as they move forward. The Knights and Lady Knights next meet will be Friday January 12^th at the University of Rhode Island Meet at 1:00pm at URI.

Dame gathers 27 as Knights gallop past Gateway CC 83-74

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team defeated the Lions of Gateway CC 83-74. With the win the knights improve their record to 8-4 and 6-0 in Region XXI play.

The Knights jumped ahead of Gateway CC 24-13 eight minutes into the first half and were able to extend their lead to 24 points with a 49-25 lead at halftime. The Lions of Gateway CC were able to claw back into the game in the second half and cut the lead to ten points at 77-67 at the 3:21 mark of the second half. The Knights were able to stop the Lion run and won by a final of 83-74.

Pat Dame (West Greenwich, RI) led the way for the Knights scoring a season-high 27 points with five rebounds and four steals. Also having a big game for the Knights was Co-Captain Connor Evans (Cranston, RI) charting a double double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Other contributors for the Knights include Co-Captain Will Lyons (Warwick, RI) with four points and 10 rebounds, Carl Lee (Warwick, RI) with eight points and six rebounds and Co-Captain Chris Birrell (Scituate, RI) with six points, five assists, and four steals.

Coach Harris said: "This team (the Knights) needs to learn how to play a full 40 minutes of basketball. This was another great learning opportunity."

The Knights next game will be Thursday the 14^th versus Roxbury CC at 7:00pm at the Vincent A. Cullen Field House on the CCRI Knights Campus in Warwick.

Knights Suffer Second loss in Heartbreaker to Division I Globe Institute 52-51

In the second game in two days the Lady Knights of Rhode Island suffer a heartbreaking loss to Globe Institute of Technology 52-51. With the loss CCRI record is now 5-2.

The game was a back and forth game the whole day neither team never getting a bigger lead then 5 points. In the first half the Lady Knights were lead by the center Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) who scored eight points early before having to come out due to two quick fouls. While for Globe their center Shenika Chang had a huge first half in scoring 17 of her 23 points. Despite the effort of Chang the Lady Knights were still able to keep the game close and go into the half tied up at 29.

In the second half the game was both high paced and high with intensity teams trading baskets back and forth. With 15 seconds left to go CCRI held a two point lead with Heather Anderson at the free throw line. Anderson hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to one point. On the in bounding play the Lady Knights got trapped in the corner of the floor and Globe forced them to turn the ball over. On the ensuing possession Shameen Holton hit a ten foot jump shoot to put Globe up 52-51. CCRI had one last shot that came up short and the final was 52-51 Globe.

The Knights were paced by Ana Sierra (Bronx, NY) with 10 points including two 3-pointers, Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY) scored 10 with six rebounds and three steals, Kristen Clarke (Cranston, RI) who scored 10 points with four rebounds, and Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) added nine points and four rebounds.

Head Coach Marcus Reilly said, "I thought we continued to show growth with another stifling defensive effort by holding Division I Globe to just 52 points and their star center to just six points in the 2^nd half. However we needed to take better care of the basketball in the closing minutes and we were not able to do so. I am confident we will continue to grow and handle this type of situation more effectively in the feature."

The Lady Knights are back in action two weeks when they go to the Mercer Invitational in New Jersey. The Lady Knights will play Mercer County CC Saturday at 3:00pm and Harcum College Sunday at noon.

Division I Globe Knights prove too much for CCRI Knights and win 87-60

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team fell to division I power Globe Institute 87-60. With the loss the Knights record falls to 7-4 on the Season but 5-0 in Region XXI.

The Knights of Globe Institute proved to have too many weapons for the CCRI Knights to handle in the 87-60 victory. The CCRI Knights did jump out to a quick 13-5 lead in the first eight minutes before the Knights of Globe Institute went on a 36-20 run to end the half up 41-33. In the second half Globe went on a 46-27 run to put them comfortably ahead to win by the final of 87-60.

Co-Captain Will Lyons (Warwick, RI) led the Knights with 15 points six rebounds and four blocks, Co-Captain Connor Evans (Cranston, RI) scored 10 points, while Co-Captain Chris Birrell (Scituate, RI) added nine points while Carl Lee (Warwick, RI) added eight points. Globe Institute had too much fire power led by David Bullock with 17 points and Rob Robinson with 14 points to lead five Globe Knights in double figures.

Coach Rick Harris said "Good weekend for us with the split. We squeezed out a win versus Orange County CC and we got to compete against a top-notch Division I program like Globe Institute which in the long run will make us a better team. We stayed with Globe for70% of the game and I think the team learned about intensity, team play, and the things the coaching staff are trying to teach the kids daily. All part of our philosophy of getting better each day."

The Knights next game will be Wednesday the 6^th versus Gateway CC at 6:00pm at the Vincent A. Cullen Field house on the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick.

Birrell leads Knights over Orange County CC 68-66

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team defeated Orange County CC 68-66. With the victory the Knights improve their record to 7-3 on the season.

Co-Captain Chris Birrell (Scituate, RI) scored a game high and career 23 points including a deep 3-pointer to give the Knights their first and only lead with 30 seconds left to cap the comeback for the Knights. The Knights then held OCC without a score as they missed a shot and two put-backs before the clock ran out securing the 68-66 victory for the Knights. OCC and their #5 ranked defense (NJCAA Division II) led the game at the half 43-31 they went on to extend their lead to 54-44 with eight minutes remaining in the game at the point Kenny Portee (Brooklyn, NY) drained a 3-point shot from the corner to start the Knights comeback which ended with the Birrell 3-pointer. Birrell also added seven rebounds, four assists and three steals to his career day.

Also contributing for the Knights were Carl Lee (Warwick, RI) with 10 points and Connor Evans (Cranston, RI) added nine points and nine rebounds, Pat Dame (West Greenwich, RI) added eight points and six assists.

Head coach Rick Harris commented "We were very fortunate to come away with a win today because there were long stretches where we played poorly. We fought through those periods and stepped-up our defense I the last eight minutes allowing us to have a shot at the victory. I also believe that we addressed our numerous errors both physically and mentally in this game and will learn from them. Bottom line is that it is always nice to get a win on the road against such a solid team like Orange County CC. We just need to make sure we learn from it and build upon it."

Perkins and Scott lead Lady Knights in Win over Orange Country Community College

On Saturday the lady Knights won there second straight game 67-42. The Knights were lead by there power forward Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY) who poured in a game high 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added three blocks and a steal. This was Perkins third double-double of the season. With the win the Lady Knights improved to 5-1 on the year.

In the opening minutes of the game CCRI jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. The Knights speed and quickness was a problem for the Orange Country team. The Knights forced numerous turnovers with the use of their press and their changing defenses. Also with key contributions on Saturday was Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY) who also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. At the half the Lady Knights had 11 point lead 31-20.

In the second half the lady Knights pulled away by outscoring Orange County by 16 points. The Lady Knights were able to get the lead to as big as 30 points at one time in the second half. The second half charge was lead by center Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) who hit two three pointers on back to back possessions to open up the lead. Vails finished the game with 10 points. Michelle McNamee (Cranston, RI) and Ana Sierra (Bronx, NY) both finished the game with 9 points, however there big contributions came on the defense end of the floor. The two combined to shut down Orange County’s leading scorer and pre-season All-American Kayla Aponte who going into the game was averaging 15 points per game. On Saturday she was held to 2 points and 0 in the second half of play.

Head Coach Marcus Reilly said, "Ana Sierra’s defensive effort in hold there leading scorer to a field goal was the highlight of a very solid defensive effort by our entire team. Couple that with a 3 to 1 rebounding advantage and I think we are starting to turn the corner from a defensive prospective."

Knights march past Massasoit CC 93-73 to improve record to 6-3 and 5-0 in Region XXI

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team marched past Region XXI foe Massasoit CC 93-73. With the victory the Knights improve their record to 6-3 on the season and 5-0 in Region XXI play.

The Knights battled the Warriors very tough in the first half going in with a three point lead with the score 37-34. In the second half the Knights made some excellent defensive adjustments applying more pressure and pulling away with a 32-12 run to extend their lead to 60-46 at the 13 minute mark. The Knights continued to apply the pressure to extend their lead to 20 and win by a final of 93-73.

Four Knights scored in double figures led by Pat Dame (West Greenwich, RI) scoring 12 of his 16 points in the second half with three assists and with Carl Lee (Warwick, RI) who also scored 16 and grabbing eight rebounds. Also scoring in double figures was Co-Captain Connor Evans (Cranston, RI) scoring 14 points with nine rebounds and four assists and Jake Grimes (Pawtucket, RI) with 13 points and three assists. Other Knight contributors included Co-Captain Chris Birrell (Scituate, RI) who scored nine points with seven assists and four rebounds, Co-Captain Will Lyons (Warwick, RI) scoring nine points with seven rebounds and four blocks and Jamiel Nisbett (Marlboro, MA) added six points and six assists.

Coach Rick Harris said "We had a great second half charge to secure the game. We matched Massasoit’s intensity and effort, which was the key to the victory tonight. This was a great team effort. When we play as a team we can be very good."

The Knights travel to New York to play Orange County CC on Saturday at 1:00pm and Globe Institute Sunday at 3:00pm.

All 11 Lady Knights Score in 89-32 Rout over Massasoit

In there first game back from a 16 day lay off the Lady Knights showed very little rust in beating Massasoit 89-32. With the win the Lady Knights move to 4-1 on the year and even their Region XXI recorded to 1-1. Massasoit with the loss remains winless at 0-5 overall and 0-4 Region XXI play.

The Lady Knights took control early with a 26-6 lead and never looked back. In the first half Michelle McNamee (Cranston, RI) led the Lady Knights with 12 points. She finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. This was McNamee’s first career double-double at the CCRI. Ana Sierra (Bronx, NY), Denise Scott (Younkers, NY) and Latavia Vails (Odenton, MD) were also key contributors to the win on Thursday night. Sierra added 13 points 7 assists and 6 steals while Vails had Scott each had 12 points. At halftime the Lady Knights took a commanding 44-16 lead.

In the second half the Lady Knights were able to get key contributions from their bench. The bench was lead by Ashley Smith (West Greenwich, RI) who scored seven points and Guylene Nsiewe (Duola, Cameroon, Africa) scored six points while grabbing eight rebounds. Angela Kue (Providence, RI) scored her first points of her college career when she hit two three pointers late in the second half. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Knights were Ashley Spivla (Narragansett, RI) with six points,, Jessica DiFazio (Coventry RI) with five points, Kristen Clarke (Cranston, RI) with two points and Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY) scoring four points.

Head Coach Marcus Reilly said, "We got good contributions from all the girls on both sides of the floor. I am very happy that everyone was able to get into the scoring column tonight. "

The Lady Knights are back in action this weekend when they play two road games at Orange County Community College Saturday at 3:00 pm and Globe Institute of Technology Sunday at noon.

Go Lady Knights!!!

December 2006

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