Dan Hurley was borderline distraught after 21st-ranked Rhode Island's lackluster showing against Brown on Wednesday night.

The fact that his Rams won and improved to 3-0 didn't seem to matter.

"It's just hard to explain how sluggish we were," the Rhode Island coach said after a narrow 79-72 win over the in-state rival Bears in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I.

It looked like the Rams would coast to a third-straight easy victory to start the season after building an early 15-point lead, but the Bears scrapped and clawed to pull within three with 10:39 remaining.

Brown came within five on multiple occasions in the closing 10 minutes, but Rhode Island did enough to hold off the early-season upset.

"It was the perfect opponent for us to get upset today," Hurley said.

Brown had a 38-31 advantage on the boards -- including a 16-7 edge on the offensive glass -- which Hurley called "embarrassing."

"They're a tough team to play," he said. "They're undersized. They're gritty, gutty tough. They share the ball. Hats off to those guys."

Jared Terrell scored 18 points and E.C. Matthews added 12 of his 17 in the second half for the Rams. Hassan Martin added 12 points and eight rebounds and Kuran Iverson contributed 11 points as Rhode Island shot 57.7 percent (30 of 52).

The Rams won their first two games against Dartmouth and Marist by an average of 32.5 points.

"This was the first time we got challenged," Hurley said. "It's the first time we were in something tight where we had to make some plays."

Steven Spieth, who was coming off a near triple-double with a career-high 27 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best nine assists against Niagara on Sunday, had 21 points and Brandon Anderson added 16 for the Bears.

"I thought the best guard on the court tonight was (Anderson) and I thought Spieth was the best player on the court," Hurley said.

Brown (1-2) shot 38.7 percent (24 of 62) and was unable to build off its 88-79 win against Niagara.

The Bears have dropped five straight and 14 of its last 15 games against the Rams.

It was the second of four games for both teams in the Tip-Off Tournament, which begins bracket play Friday at nearby Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

"It will be good to get two days here," Hurley said.

Rhode Island routed Marist 107-65 in its Tip-Off Tournament opener on Monday while Brown fell 84-55 at then-unranked Cincinnati last Friday.

Seven players scored as the Rams opened a 22-10 lead midway through the opening half.

Rhode Island led by as many as 15 points after Jared Terrell's layup with 4:29 left before the intermission, but Brown closed the half on a 12-5 run to pull within eight at halftime.

NOTES: Rhode Island leads 105-53 in the all-time series against Brown. ... The Rams improved to 32-11 when G Jared Terrell scores in double figures. ... Rhode Island's 107 points in their win over Marist was a Ryan Center record. The Rams' previous high on their home floor was two 101-point showings during the 2009-10 campaign. ... Rhode Island faces No. 24 Cincinnati on Saturday in first-round bracket play in the Basketball Hall Of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The Rams will face either No. 1 Duke or Penn State in the Naismith Bracket in the final round Sunday. Brown battles Marist on Friday in the lower Springfield Bracket of the Tip-Off Tournament and plays Albany on Sunday.