WVU puts streak on line vs Rhode Island

Rhode Island (5-2) vs. West Virginia (6-0)

WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: West Virginia looks for its seventh straight victory of the season as it takes on Rhode Island. Rhode Island took care of Manhattan by nine at home in its last outing. West Virginia is coming off a 75-63 win in Riviera Maya over Wichita State in its most recent game.

LEADING THE WAY: West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe has averaged 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds while Jermaine Haley has put up 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. For the Rams, Fatts Russell has averaged 19.6 points, 4.9 assists and 3.3 steals while Jeff Dowtin has put up 15 points.

OFFENSIVE THREAT: Russell has either made or assisted on 44 percent of all Rhode Island field goals over the last five games. The junior guard has 37 field goals and 23 assists in those games.

STREAK STATS: West Virginia has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 77.3 points while giving up 63.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Mountaineers have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Rams. West Virginia has 34 assists on 72 field goals (47.2 percent) across its past three matchups while Rhode Island has assists on 28 of 79 field goals (35.4 percent) during its past three games.

STINGY DEFENSE: West Virginia has held opposing teams to 34.8 percent shooting from the field this year, the lowest percentage among all Division I teams. Over their last three games, the Mountaineers have held opposing shooters to 34.3 percent.