Jamal WilsonBy Paul Seaver (TheArenaPulse) This post is part of The Arena Pulse's Player of the Night feature.
Each morning throughout the 2011-12 season, The Arena Pulse will select and name its "Player of the Night" from the previous evening's action.
With Friday, Nov. 11 marking the unofficial start to the college basketball season for so many teams, there was without a doubt, a number of top performances across the college basketball landscape.
UNC's John Henson recorded nine blocks, UNLV's Mike Moser secured 20 rebounds, Pittsburgh's Travon Woodall began the year with a career-high 25 points and ten assists. Each of these respected players helped lead their teams to victory on Friday night, but the top performer on the evening came up just short of beginning the year with a W.
The winner of The Arena Pulse's Player of the Night (11/11):
Name: Jamal Wilson
School: URI
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Stat Line: 38 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
URI lost its season opener to George Mason on Friday night. The Patriots held off the Rams 92-90, needing overtime to secure a victory over their A-10 opponent.
George Mason head coach Paul Hewitt made his debut on Friday night, beginning things with a thrilling win. The loss for URI was a tough defeat, as a road victory at George Mason would have been an early statement win for head coach Jim Baron's squad.
Despite the loss, senior guard Jamal Wilson stole the show. Wilson scored more points than any player in the nation on Friday night, finishing the evening with 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting.
The 6-foot-5 Wilson burst into the spotlight on Friday evening, helping play a vital role in URI's bid for a key, non-conference road victory. However, it was not to be.
Along with his 38 points, Wilson also secured seven rebounds, while recording two steals.
URI got 84 of its 90 total points from its starters, while Wilson was accountable for 42.2% of the Rams' points in all.
While the evening would have been a lot better for Wilson had the Rams been able to pull off the road victory, his performance was still strong enough to keep URI in the game and warrant the Player of the Night award.
URI will travel to Austin, Texas for a Tuesday, Nov. 15 date with the Longhorns.
*Photo: Jamal Wilson *Credit: gorhody.com
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Original Story:
http://www.thearenapulse.com/2011/11/...
