National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Rhode Island 78, Auburn 72
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 25, 2012
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn, Alabama
Officials: # Roger Ayers, # James Gattis, # Ted Valentine
Attendance: 4557

Rhode Island 78, Auburn 72 (2 OT): Xavier Munford drained eight 3-pointers – including one to force a second extra period – en route to a career-high 33-point performance as the visiting Rams edged the Tigers and collected their first win of the season.

Munford shot 11-of-24 from the field – including 8-of-15 beyond the arc – for Rhode Island (1-5), which overcame a home loss to Loyola (Md.) on Friday to give first-year coach Dan Hurley his first win with the Rams.

In the first overtime, the Tigers (2-4) took a five-point lead and held the Rams scoreless until Andre Malone - an Auburn transfer - hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining. Munford hit a jumper with 23 seconds left and a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force the second overtime.

Nikola Malesevic and Munford accounted for all 12 of the Rams’ points in the second extra period. Allen Payne brought the Tigers to within 74-72 with 41 seconds left, but Munford sank four free throws down the stretch as Auburn missed its final four shots.

Freshman Jordan Price paced the Tigers with a career-high 19 points.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Malone finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in his first game against Auburn since transferring after the 2010-11 season. … The scoring explosion from Munford – a junior college transfer from Iowa Western College – eclipsed his 24-point performance in his Rams’ debut against Virginia Tech on Nov. 12. … Frankie Sullivan, the Southeastern Conference’s second-leading scorer, shot 3-of-14 from the field and scored just seven points.
Top Game Performances
 
Rhode Island   Auburn
Xavier Munford 33 Scoring Jordan Price 19
Mike Powell 6 Assists Josh Wallace 7
Jordan Hare 9 Rebounds Rob Chubb 9
Jordan Hare 3 Free Throws Made Brian Greene Jr. 2
Nikola Malesevic 3 Steals Brian Greene Jr. 2
Jordan Hare 3 Blocks Allen Payne 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Rhode Island 78 40.0 13-26 13-21 14 36 3 11 15
Auburn 72 45.2 11-27 5-7 21 33 3 8 19