Knights Lose Season Opener to Nassau Lions 74-69

11.04.19

Warwick, R.I. – November 4, 2019: The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team started their 2019-20 season by hosting the Nassau Community College Lions for the CCRI tip-off Tournament. A tight and scrappy game was a great fight to the very end but CCRI fell to Nassau 74-69. The loss gets CCRI off to a 0-1 start overall.

CCRI come into the season with 12 freshmen looking to push on the Knights and continue the quality that last year’s squad produced. Their first test of the season, a DIII perennial powerhouse in the Nassau Community College Lions who received four votes and are just outside the top 10 NJCAA DIII teams.

The Lions came out with high intensity and pressed effectively to take an early lead. This continued and CCRI struggled to take their chances at the perimeter, shooting 31.8% from beyond the arc. At halftime, CCRI trailed by five points, 34-39.

The second half saw a far more focused attack from the Knights. They began to penetrate the Lions defense, drawing fouls and opening up more space near the arc to start chipping away at the lead.

Sophomore Jeremy Remigio (Providence, RI) took the led on offense, looking to swing the ball more effectively from side to side. Remigio led the team with six assists and sparked the Knights to draw level with the Lions with just over nine minutes left in the game, 55-55. Leading the scoring for CCRI was freshman Mitchel Noresca (East Providence, RI) who recorded his first collegiate double-double with a game leading 17 points and 15 rebounds. Noresca added two steals to his tally.

CCRI stayed within striking distance the entire game, trailing 66-68 with 1:45 left on the clock and 69-72 with just 20.4 seconds remaining. Yet, they never overcame the deficit and would lose the game 74-69.

Sophomore Elijah Lewis (Bridgeport, CT) played well in the season opener, registering 14 points with four assist, three rebounds and one steal. Freshman Mikey Gamble (Hartford, CT) scored 13 points and added five rebounds, three steals and one assist in his Knights debut. Freshman Reece Bullock (Coventry, RI) chipped in with nine points, five rebounds and two steals.

The CCRI Knights men’s basketball team will next be in action on Saturday, November 9th at 2:00 p.m. as they travel to Middletown, NY to take on the Orange County Community College Colts.

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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 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.