The recent four-game slide is tied for the second longest since 2018. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team’s struggles continued this past week, dropping matchups at the University of Dayton and Fordham University to extend their losing streak to four games. The team now sits at 12-8 overall and 3-5 in Atlantic 10 play.
The first game of the road trip was against conference rival Dayton, who ended the Rams’ 2020-21 season in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The first half saw the Flyers jump out to an early lead, leading by as many as 11 in the period. However, a late-half run by the Rams, thanks to some key baskets from graduate senior Ishmael El-Amin and junior guard Jalen Carey, cut the deficit to 29-25 at the half.
The second half was eerily similar to the first, as the Flyers went on an 8-2 run to start the half and extend their lead to double digits. Once again, though, it was the defense that kept the Rams in it, holding the Flyers to just 30 percent shooting from the field for the game. Excellent rim protection from the Mitchell twins, Makhi and Makhel, as well as three steals from senior guard Malik Martin helped to keep the Rams in the contest.
The Flyers’ defense was equal to the Rams, though, as neither team scored a basket for five of the final 11 minutes of the game. A jumper from Jeremy Sheppard with 6:06 left in the game ended the drought and made it 45-42.
A late push by the Rams via a Carey three and layup by freshman guard Sebastian Thomas weren’t quite enough in the end, as the Flyers made their free throws down the stretch and came away with the narrow 53-51 victory.
This win marked three losses in a row for the Rams, two of which were within two points. Makhi Mitchell recorded his fourth double-double of the season in the defeat and his brother, Makhel, was the second-leading scorer for Rhody with nine points.
Head Coach David Cox claimed there were no moral victories from the game, but was encouraged by the effort put forth by his squad.
”I thought we fought really hard today,” Cox said. “Dayton is a really good team and I thought we battled.”
Carey shared similar sentiments while also expressing his frustration with the ability to close out games.
“I think we are a really good team. I think a lot of people sleep on us,” Carey said. “We just need to get better at closing out games.”
Rhody then traveled to the Bronx to take on Fordham. It was Fordham’s first home game with fans since the beginning of their winter break, and Rhody felt the energy from their fans throughout the entire first half. The hosts jumped out to a 12-5 early lead and never looked back, eventually building their lead to 36-17 in their favor at the half.
The second half was all Rhode Island. The Rams, once again, used stellar defense, along with a barrage of threes from Thomas and Martin, to storm all the way and tie the game at 48 with five minutes left in the contest.
Fordham regrouped, regained the lead and eventually pulled away to win thanks to timely makes at the free throw line in the final minutes.
Up next for the Rams is a rivalry game against UMass on Saturday at the Ryan Center, which will have added stakes considering the team’s current slide. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN+.