Jeremy Sheppard put together a solid performance in their home finale, scoring 16 points. PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Clark | Staff Photographer
In their final two home games of the season, the University of Rhode Island Men’s Basketball team went 1-1 against Duquesne and Saint Louis, defeating the Dukes on Senior Day before falling to the Billikens on Wednesday night.
On Saturday, the Rams took on the last place Duquesne Dukes on Rhody’s Senior Day. The team’s two seniors, Jeremy Sheppard and Ishmael El-Amin, were honored pregame.
The first half was all Rams as they pulled away with an early 23-13 lead. Buckets from El-Amin, Sheppard, and junior guard Malik Martin extended that lead before a half court buzzer beater from Sheppard sent Rhody into the half with a 42-23 lead.
Despite a stronger showing from the Dukes in the second half, the Rams held off any shot of a Duquesne comeback. El-Amin continued scoring in the second half and stellar defense from Martin and fellow forward Antwan Walker helped the Rams come away with a comfortable 70-54 victory at the Ryan Center.
El-Amin was the team’s leading scorer, finishing with a season-high 21 points and seven rebounds for the Rams. His fellow guards were also tremendous in the win, with Ishmael Leggett and Sheppard chipping in 13 and 11 points respectively.
The second of the two matchups was against a tough opponent in Saint Louis, who came into the game leading the conference in points per game, free throws made and rebounds per game. The Rams had their work cut out for them, but they did not back down from the challenge.
For the most part, the Rams controlled the first half, leading by as much as 10 points with six minutes to go in the stanza. However, Saint Louis began to push the pace a bit more late in the half. Saint Louis guard Yuri Collins, who leads the country in assists, dished out four assists on Saint Louis’s final four buckets, giving the Billikens the 39-33 advantage going into the locker room.
The second half appeared as if it would be more of the same from the Billikens. They built their lead to as much as 15 with 13:08 left to play. However, the Rams came storming back thanks to guard Sebastian Thomas. The freshmen scored seven straight points for Rhody to bring them within two.
The Rams continued to apply the pressure, tying the game up at 63 and even taking a 67-66 lead with a Jeremy Sheppard layup with 5:30 left in the second half.
Turnovers were what did the Rams in, as some costly mistakes on the offensive end gave Saint Louis an opportunity to retake the lead and pull away. The Billikens took advantage with Collins scoring some key buckets down the stretch and closing the game out to win 80-74.
Sheppard and forward Makhi Mitchell were the main contributors for Rhody, scoring 16 and 13 points in the effort. Makhel Mitchell also chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.
After the game, Head Coach David Cox expressed his frustration with key mistakes down the stretch, but showed optimism for the upcoming Atlantic 10 tournament.
“It was just key turnovers in the last two minutes that cost us,” Cox said. “We have been in a lot of close games with a lot of good teams and I know we can compete with anyone.”
As for Thomas, his seven points was a huge spark for the Rams, but he remains focused on the next opportunity.
“We are not worried about wins and losses,” Thomas said. “We are worried about Rhode Island and how we can get better each day.”
The Rams will next take on Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia on Saturday in their final regular season game of the season. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m. and the game can be watched on the USA Network.