Mahki Mitchell slams one home in the first half of Saturday’s win against Davidson. PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Clark
The losing streak has finally been snapped.
The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team ended their six-game skid, upsetting the Davidson Wildcats 72-65 on Saturday before falling to the Dayton Flyers on Monday night 63-57.
Entering Saturday’s game, the Wildcats were the top-ranked team in the Atlantic 10 with a 10-1 conference record. Despite the tough matchup, URI Head Coach David Cox says his team stayed resilient even with their recent adversity.
“I’m so proud of these guys for staying the course,” Cox said. “Sometimes you have to go through some things to see what you really have inside of you.”
Last time out against the Wildcats on Jan. 8, Rhody fell late 72-68 in a game that featured 14 lead changes and 13 ties. This time around, the Rams held control for most of the game, leading for over 38 minutes of action and never trailing in the second half.
Both teams stayed even early on, knotted up at 7 in the first few minutes. The Rams began to take control from there, going on a 12-0 run that saw a couple layups from sophomore forward Makhel Mitchell.
Graduate Jeremy Sheppard led the way in the first half, scoring seven of the Rams’ last 10 points and finishing with 12 going into the break. Sheppard, who returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench the last two games, believes that flexibility of starting and coming off the bench is “really important” when it comes to the success of his team.
“It’s just always locking in, doing whatever you can for your teammates,” Sheppard said. “I didn’t complain about it, I came to practice and worked.”
The Richmond, Virginia native finished with 23 on the day, adding 11 more in the second half. Makhi Mitchell also had a strong game, adding 16 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
As a team, URI cleaned up one of the biggest issues that they had during the losing streak––free throws. Against Davidson, the Rams went 83 percent — 19-for-23 — from the foul line.
“It was growth, definitely growth.” Cox said after the game.
Rhody faced another tough challenge against Dayton Monday night. Both teams played back-and-forth in the first half, finding themselves tied at 24 at the break. Despite going 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, the Rams held strong on defense with nine first-half takeaways.
Rhody improved their percentage from long range shots in the second half, but unlike their last matchup, they found themselves behind in the latter stages of the game. A 10-0 run propelled by Dayton’s Toumani Camara saw Rhody down 44-34 with 11:24 remaining.
The Rams fought back to tie it at 54 with three minutes left to play, but it was all Flyers from that point on. URI struggled to score late, only mustering three points the rest of the way — a trend the team experienced during their losing streak.
“Points are at a premium,” Cox said after the game. “The difference tonight was the spurt they went on with eight, nine minutes to go in the game.”
For the first time since 2012, the Rams did not have a scorer finish in double digits. After Sheppard’s dominant performance on Saturday, Cox said he wished his point guard had taken “a few more chances” down the stretch this time around.
“I would’ve liked to see Jeremy play with a little more pop,” he said.
The road back to the win column will come on the road for the Rams. They’ll travel to face George Washington University Saturday before rounding out their two-game trip at St. Bonaventure University Tuesday night. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.