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Knights Earn 1000th Win in Program History vs BFIT

01.18.18

Warwick, R.I. – January 19, 2018: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team hosted the Shockers from the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) for a Region XXI clash. An explosive second half saw the Knights past the Shockers 113-67. The victory improves the Knights season record to 7-11 overall and 5-1 in conference. This is also the CCRI men's basketball program's 1000th Win.

The CCRI Knights men's basketball team held their first conference game of the calendar year Thursday evening. Looking to rebound off back-to-back losses in the CCRI Invitational the prior weekend and with the program's 1000th win on the table, Head Coach Rick Harris would continue to push his team hard. A low scoring affair at first, the Knights were patient on the perimeter looking for holes in the Shockers' zone-defense. Moving the ball around the arc opened up holes in the defense which was then driven to good effect. Leading this charge was freshman Josh Williams (Atlanta, GA) who went 4-5 from the floor, with 11 points and four assists in the first half. CCRI also dominated the boards with 17 team rebounds led by sophomore Co-Captain Chris Garcia (Queens, NY) with four at the half.

The Knights began the second half with the 47-37 lead looking to get into top gear. BFIT continued their zone-defense and CCRI attacked relentlessly attempting to widen the gap. Adding to this was the Knights ability to score from beyond the arc. J.C. Santos (East Providence, RI) had a game high 22 points, going 8-9 from the floor and 3-6 from three. Santos also added eight assists and three steals to his tally. Freshman David Cabeceiras (Warwick, RI) chipped in with three 3-pointers of his own. Williams, who went 2-3 from beyond the 3-point arc finished the game with 20 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals.

The Knights shone defensively as well. As a team CCRI swiped 11 steals almost double that of their 6.4 average. Williams added to Santos' three steals with three of his own for the Knights. CCRI showed dominance once again attacking the boards. Of the team 35 rebounds, 31 came on the defensive side of the court. Leading the knights in this effort was sophomore Co-Captain Igor Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) with seven as well as adding 10 points. Every Knight got on the score sheet. The balanced effort and 66 points posted by the knights in the second half saw CCRI cruise to a 113-67 victory making it the 1000th win in program history. To see history be made was a man whom himself has made plenty of history for the program. Vin Cullen, whose name adorns the field house, was there to speak with the team and take a few celebratory pictures after the game. Cullen, as Head Coach of the men's basketball team, and current Athletic Director Emeritus was at the helm for 710 of the 1,000 victories between 1965 and 2002. Coach Cullen commented on the milestone victory: "Congratulations to Rick Harris and his Knights on gaining CCRI's 1000th basketball victory. Coach Harris has done an excellent job of continuing CCRI's winning tradition which began back in 1965. The program is the best in New England. It looks like Rick and his squad will repeat as New England champions again in 2018. The program has had many successes and milestones in the past. With Coach Harris at the helm the Knights future is even brighter. Go Knights!"

UP NEXT: The Knights go on the road to face Central Maine Community College in Auburn, ME on Saturday Jan. 25 at 2:00 PM

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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.