Brown men’s basketball coach Mike Martin speaks after a Bears win Sunday
The Bears recorded 27 assists and 15 made-threes, the most assists in at least a decade, the close out the College Hill Classic on Sunday night.
Kino Lilly Jr. and Tyonne Farrell took home some hardware as college basketball season cruised past the halfway point of its opening month.
Lilly was named the Ivy League Player of the Week and Farrell repeated as the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. The guard from Brown and forward from the University of Rhode Island received their respective honors on Monday afternoon.
Advertisement
Lilly posted three 20-point games in as many nights for the Bears at their College Hill Classic, which was played at the Pizzitola Center. He hit for 26 points in an opening Friday win over New Hampshire and collected 20 in a closing Sunday victory over Sacred Heart. Lilly was 14-for-29 from 3-point range and posted 13 assists.
Lilly set a Brown program mark in the middle game against Holy Cross, surpassing JR Hobbie as the all-time leader in 3-pointers. Hobbie connected 257 times from beyond the arc in his 115 games, a career that ran from 2013-17. Lilly is currently at 264 makes from deep through 91 career games, starting with the Bears in 2021.
Farrell recorded a first career double-double in a blowout of Franklin Pierce, totaling 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 105-73 triumph. Farrell added six assists and two steals in just 22 minutes, as the Rams pulled away in the second half. He was a plus-22 in the box score.
Farrell is the first URI freshman to win consecutive conference rookie honors since E.C. Matthews grabbed four straight in 2013-14. That string was broken by teammate Hassan Martin — both cornerstones were among the first recruiting class brought in by former coach Dan Hurley. Farrell looks to have the makings of an impact talent for the Rams, starting each of his first three career games.
Advertisement
Brown will be back in action on Saturday at Canisius. URI returns sooner, hosting Lafayette in a 7 p.m. tip on Wednesday. The two teams will renew their rivalry series on Dec. 10 on the East Side.
PROVIDENCE — Motorists in the northeast have enjoyed watching prices continue to inch lower at the pump as gloomier demand forecasts grip global petroleum markets.
The average gas price in Rhode Island is down three cents from last week, averaging $2.91 per gallon. Today’s price is nine cents lower than a month ago and 44 cents lower than on the same day last year. Rhode Island’s average gas price is 16 cents lower than the national average.
“Normally, higher demand and tightening supplies would send prices climbing, but markets are more focused on the long-term global demand picture at this time,” said Jillian Young, director of public relations for AAA Northeast. “A key factor keeping prices steady has been the continued pace of strong domestic oil and gas production throughout 2024.”
Advertisement
Crude oil prices ended last week down almost $5 a barrel after both OPEC+ and the International Energy Agency slashed their demand projections for 2025, citing China’s limping economy and the potential for a global gasoline production surplus of more than one million barrels a day.
Domestically, prices for petroleum commodities are lower despite last week’s data from the Energy Information Administration that showed a 555,000 barrel a day surge in domestic demand week-to-week. The increase took many market participants by surprise, and is expected to be revised lower in future reports by the agency, which is not uncommon.
Total demand for last week was a reported 9.3 million barrels a day — 434,000 barrels more than the comparable week last year and more akin to figures seen during the summer driving season. At the same time, regional inventories that supply the Northeast fell by 2.8 million barrels, sending stockpiles below last year’s levels by 1.3 million barrels.
AAA Northeast’s Nov. 18 survey of fuel prices found the current national average down a penny from last week, averaging $3.07 gallon. Today’s national average price is 12 cents cheaper than a month ago and 25 cents lower than on the same day last year.
NEWPORT, RI — Two people from Newport were arrested Thursday after police said they were caught with cocaine.
Glenda Mendez, 48, and Edgardo Torres, 26, were charged with possession with intent to sell a controlled substance. Mendez was also charged with using a firearm when committing a crime of violence.
Newport police said they learned Mendez and Torres were selling cocaine in the city and got warrants to search both their homes. During the search, officers seized 16 grams of cocaine, a SIG Sauer 9-mm semi-automatic handgun, and two loaded magazines, police said.
Two universities were given the largest private gifts in their respective histories this past week. The University of San Diego reported it had received a $75 million commitment from Darlene Marcos Shiley, and the University of Rhode Island has been given a $65 million estate gift from the late Helen Izzi Schilling, an alum of the institution.
University of San Diego
The $75 million commitment from Darlene Shiley, which will be distributed over time, will create the Shiley STEM Initiative, an initiative intended to enhance the university’s existing STEM programs.
Advertisement
Part of the funding from the commitment will be used to create a new space on the USD campus to integrate engineering and the natural sciences. It’s expected to help enable new majors, minors, and certificate programs. In addition, the expansion will include flexible classrooms for collaborative teaching, “Makers Spaces” for students and faculty, expanded machine shops for STEM disciplines, and more labs and shops in biomedical engineering.
The gift will also support new scholarships, fellowships and undergraduate research opportunities in various STEM fields.
As part of the university’s announcement, USD President James T. Harris, III said, “Darlene Shiley is one of the most generous and kind individuals that anyone could ever meet. She’s always looking out for humanity and the best interests of our society, and she particularly loves our students.”
“We are a better institution because of Donald and Darlene Shiley and what they’ve decided to do for this institution and what they’ve done for this world. In our vision statement we talk about leading with love, and Donald and Darlene Shiley have always led with love, “added Harris.
Advertisement
Shiley, whose husband Don invented a prosthetic heart valve, said that “STEM fields touch all different aspects of our lives, and I believe they can be a force for good in our society.”
“I was drawn to USD because of its emphasis on a values-based education. This gift fulfills my husband’s and my goals and makes me feel like I’ve made an impact. Now I hope it helps future students take what they learn at USD and make a positive impact of their own,” she noted in the announcement.
The Shileys have been major benefactors for the university and the San Diego community over the years. Their prior gifts helped establish USD’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the Shiley Theatre, and the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology.
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island’s $65 million estate gift from Helen Izzi Schilling, a 1954 graduate of the University, will be used to create an endowed scholarship that will provide up to $20,000 per year for four years to high-achieving undergraduate students majoring in a science, technology, engineering, or math field.
“This transformational gift shows that alumni believe in our University and in our students,” said URI President Marc B. Parlange, as part of the announcement. “We are incredibly grateful for the Schillings’ support of our mission and our students. URI has never been in a better place, due, in no small measure, to our remarkable community—the students, faculty, and staff across our campuses and the extraordinary alumni who carry their URI experience with them wherever they go.”
Advertisement
The Schilling Scholarships will begin to be awarded to undergraduates applying to URI for the Fall 2025 admission cycle.
After her graduation from URI, Helen Schilling worked for many years as a registered dietitian, professor and consultant. Her husband, Frank Schilling, worked at General Electric where he became a vice president and was head of GE Medical Systems.
“My mother’s education in the sciences formed the foundation of a career that was dedicated to helping people, and that started at the University of Rhode Island,” Dr. Paul J. Schilling said in the university’s news release. “She wanted to make a difference for her alma mater, but most importantly for the students going forward. I am glad that my parents will be remembered for giving students a head start to achieve their goals.”