Albiani’s Take

Positives:

  • The Rhode Island women’s swimming and diving team meet on senior day was a fantastic performance. In addition to beating Bryant 180-119, they also had winners in 12 of the 16 events that were scored. They will look to build on that momentum as they train for the Atlantic 10 championships that start Feb. 17.
  • The development of Jarvis Garrett this season has been extremely encouraging. This year Garrett has become more aggressive, and at times even looked like a viable scoring threat, which is a stark contrast to his normal play, where he is looking to make things happen for his teammates. If Garrett plays like this, next year could be a special year, after the development of fellow sophomore Jared Terrell and the return of E.C. Matthews.

Negatives:

  • The Rhody women’s basketball team’s shooting performance against Dayton was bad, to put it best, shooting just 28.4 percent from the field, and scoring only six points in the first quarter. After exceeding expectations last season, the team has really struggled to take the next step, and has actually gone backward this season. The hope is that they can catch fire in the Atlantic 10 tourney; otherwise their season will surely end without a postseason berth.
  • The URI men’s basketball team’s first half against La Salle was just what has killed the team all season; the inability to put together a complete effort for 40 minutes. The first half saw Rhody go into the half tied at 29 with the Explorers, despite La Salle having just five wins. That is the type of game where they need to take care of business early.

Players of the Week:

Bridget Whalen (180-119 win vs Bryant) – Whalen was part of the 200-yard medley relay team that grabbed gold. She also won the 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley.

Jarvis Garrett (79-62 win vs La Salle) – Garrett scored 26 points, recorded five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while also drilling three shots from behind the 3-point line in just six chances.

Team of the Week: URI men’s track and field (Coaches’ Tribute Meet) – The URI men’s team won their third straight meet in a blowout. They tallied 225.5 points while Brown University came in second with just 102 points. They are peaking at the right time, with the A-10 Championships around the corner.

Off the Record:  The Celtics have held opponents to a shooting percentage of just 43.1 percent, good for fourth in the NBA, one-tenth of a point behind the Warriors, Spurs and Bulls for the lead in the NBA.

 

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