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Rhode Island’s E.C. Matthews suffers knee injury in win

E.C. Matthews

E.C. Matthews

AP

Rhode Island’s season-opening win over American, a game in which they rebounded from a slow start to win 65-42, may have come at a significant cost for a team expected to contend in the Atlantic 10.

Junior guard E.C. Matthews left the game in the first half with a knee injury, going down on a drive to the basket. Matthews left the Ryan Center for further examination and according to the school more will be learned when he undergoes more tests on Saturday. It goes without saying that losing one of the conference’s top players would be a major hit for Dan Hurley’s team to absorb, especially at this point in the season.

Matthews was later taken to the locker room by URI trainer Mike Monteiro and team physician Ramin Tabaddor and did not return. He will undergo a full battery of tests on his knee at some point on Saturday. The Rams expect to update his status later this weekend.
“He’s one of the greatest kids you’ll ever coach,” Hurley said. “He stands for all the right things. He’s got a great family. He’s been a pillar of this thing here. No one can match his work ethic or dedication.”

The Rams pulled away thanks to a balanced offensive effort led by guard Four McGlynn (15 points) and Jared Terrell (14), and a defense that forced 17 American turnovers that they converted into 25 points. In addition to the turnovers Rhode Island limited the Eagles to 34.8 percent shooting from the field, with Jesse Reed being held to just seven points on the night.

With Matthews unavailable McGlynn played 25 minutes off the bench and freshman Christion Thompson played 18. Should Matthews be sidelined for an extended period of time, those are the two players (in addition to starters Terrell and Jarvis Garrett) who would absorb those minutes moving forward.