BROOKLYN -- Junior Sam Peterson scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and dished out a game-best seven assists, leading Pratt to a 55-44 victory over visiting Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Sunday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball play at the ARC.
Freshman Ari Grant added 20 points and 11 rebounds, collecting his third straight double-double in three games this week as the Cannoneers used late first half rally and a pair of second half runs in improving to 3-7.
One of Max Dehne's five three-pointers put RISD ahead 15-9 midway through the opening period. Back-to-back Peterson baskets sparked a 10-3 run over the final 6:47 of the first, as Pratt closed out the first half with a 55-44 lead.
A Forest O'Donoghue three pointer pulled RISD briefly ahead 21-20 early in the second, but the half belonged almost exclusively to the Cannoneers. A 9-0 run fueled by five Grant points gave Pratt its first double-digit lead at 34-23 at the 12:44 mark. An Austin Blanks layup pulled RISD to within seven with 5:00 to play, but Peterson and Grant each scored four points in an ensuing 8-0 run, lifting Pratt to its largest lead yet at 50-35 and comfortably distancing the Cannoneers for good.
For Peterson, the junior's 23 points mark a season-high, while Grant grabbed eight of his team-high 11 boards after the intermission. Peterson added a game-best seven assists with only three turnovers, Grant handed out four dimes to go along with a block and a steal. Sophomore Matthew Valentine added six points and six boards as Pratt snapped a six-game slide.
Dehne poured in 19 points on 5-7 shooting from three-point range for RISD. Toussaint Wallace notched a double-double of his own with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, a dozen of which came before halftime, but the RISD forward was held to 3-19 shooting.
For the game, Pratt held RISD to 23 percent shooting from the floor.
After its stretch of three games in five days, the Cannoneers enjoy a six-day layoff before returning the second half of the home-and-home series at RISD on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
