Erick Green scored 18 of 24 points in the second half to lead Virginia Tech to a 78-67 non-conference victory over struggling Rhode Island Wednesday night.
Jarrell Eddie added 15 points and six rebounds and Cadarian Raines came off the bench with 12 as the Hokies (6-3) broke a two-game losing streak. The loss was URI's fifth in a row and sent the Rams to their first 1-8 start since 1983-84.
Nikola Malesevic led URI (1-8) with a season-high 23 points.
Green, who came in averaging 16.1 points per game, scored seven points in a 17-7 spurt over a 4:50 span, bringing Virginia Tech from two points down into an eight-point lead. Green missed a 1-and-1 chance in the closing minutes.
He was 10-for-14 from the floor, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and also had three steals.
