Rams dominate on senior night, let one get away at Fordham

The University of Rhode Island (17-14, 9-9) was in high spirits on senior night after trouncing the University of Massachusetts, 68-50, but failed to ride their recent momentum when they visited Fordham, losing 64-61 on Saturday in the regular season finale.

The Rams returned to the Ryan Center confident after upending the Atlantic 10’s top seed, Dayton, and looked to channel the same positive energy in what was the final home stand for transfer Four McGlynn, who battled with the flu, big man Earl Watson, Rory Temkin and Shane Plunkett.

Both teams struggled at the start, but when the Rams made the game’s first field goal more than four minutes in, they went on a tear that saw them open with an 11-0 run for the second straight contest. The lead ballooned to 26, with the Rams comfortably up, 34-12 at the break. They found their strength on the defensive end, holding the Minutemen under 20 percent from the field in the first half, and about 29 percent for the game.

“Something that coach preaches to us is starting fast on defense, and when we start fast on defense we let our offense come to us,” junior Kuran Iverson said.

URI received a bit of a scare in the second half when UMass took advantage of Rhode Island’s scoring drought, cutting the deficit by more than half, making the score 45-35 with 11:21 left in the game. The Rams regrouped however, and extended the lead past 20 once again to clinch another wire-to-wire victory.

Many players struggled to find their offensive rhythm, but nearly every Ram contributed to the win. Jared Terrell resumed his role as lead offensive manufacturer, with a game-high 15 points, while shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Terrell’s shooting from the charity stripe was infectious for the whole team, as they shot 81 percent from the charity stripe. Iverson rebounded from a slow start, and finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds to go along with three blocks. Earl Watson was also strong in his final outing on the Alex and Ani Court, nearly recording a double-double of his own with 10 points and eight boards.

“Obviously thrilled with the performance overall,” head coach Dan Hurley said. “Hats off to all our guys here. I could go down the line. I thought Earl had a great senior night. I felt great for him.”

Although it was a balanced effort from the Rams, Andre Berry stole the show once again, proving that his breakout performance versus Dayton was not a fluke. He was productive and efficient in the post, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in just 13 minutes of action.

“The last two games, the matchups were good for him,” Hurley said. It’s taken him some time and the work from Antonio Reynolds Dean and Daniel Marshall have put him in the position to be effective and have an impact.”

It was a short turnaround as the Rams found themselves in a grueling battle against Fordham just 41 hours later. Their offense, however, was efficient enough to give them a 32-29 lead at halftime. McGlynn was perfect from the floor in the first 20 minutes, shooting 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Freshman Christion Thompson, who had missed the previous three games due to a concussion, added four points in 14 minutes on the afternoon.

URI, despite struggles from Terrell, who was unable to make a shot (0-for-8), and a mostly quiet second half for McGlynn, was able to build a double-digit lead about six minutes in. The Rams were carried by an electric scoring output by Iverson, who posted a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds. Iverson did his best to lead his team to its third straight win, which it had not done in over two months.

Fordham, on the strength of a dominant display by senior Ryan Rhoomes (27 points, 11-for-15), was able to erase the deficit and take a 49-47 lead with 9 1/2 minutes left, following a 16-2 run. The game remained tight down the stretch. Rhoomes made four consecutive free throws in crunch time to position his team for the win, leading 61-58 with under a minute to play.

URI’s fate seemed sealed after McGlynn missed a 3-pointer. He would be given a second and unexpected chance, however, following a Fordham turnover. McGlynn capitalized on the untimely miscue, and tied the game from beyond the arc with 20 seconds left.

There was enough time on the clock for Fordham to once again shake Rhode Island when Antwoine Anderson converted a three-point play with only three seconds remaining. McGlynn misfired as time expired, thus ending the minor roll the Rams had going.

URI can only be saved by an improbable run in the A-10 Tournament, but Hurley knows how hard his squad battled during an injury-plagued season.

“These guys have had a great season, they really have,” Hurley said. “I’m not sure how many programs could have absorbed you know losing the best offensive player in the league and the best defensive player in the league. Coaches say it all the time, but I couldn’t be prouder to coach these guys.”