The University of Rhode Island Rams and the University of Delaware faced off in basketball for the first time ever on Saturday.
The two teams have been rivals on the football field for over 100 years but had never seen each other on the court.
The Rams traveled to UBS Arena in Elmont, New York to compete in the Holiday Hoopfest, falling to the Delaware Blue Hens 67-56.
A back-and-forth first four minutes saw the Blue Hens leading the Rams 7-6 with Delaware’s fourth-year guard, Niels Lane, scoring five of UD’s first seven points.
At the first media timeout with 13:26 remaining in the first half, Delaware led Rhody 9-8. The teams were shooting a combined 8-for-22 to start the night, with both squads having three turnovers apiece.
The teams continued to trade baskets tied at 16 points each at the second media timeout. The stoppage came with 9:22 remaining in the half. Fourth-year Luis Kortright led the way for the Rams with five points and four rebounds.
After almost three minutes of play another timeout was called, with Rhode Island leading 22-20. First-year guard Cam Estevez earned four points during the stretch, drawing two fouls.
Coming out of the timeout, Estevez made two free throws before the Blue Hens went on a 12-point run to take a 32-24 lead. During the stretch, the Rams missed four straight field goals. UD extended their run to 15 as they held Rhode Island scoreless for over five minutes. Kortright ended the drought with a layup with 29 seconds remaining in the half. The scoreless stretch can be attributed to seven Rams turnovers over a 6 ½-minute stretch before halftime.
At the half, the Blue Hens led 35-26. The Rams had 11 turnovers during the period, while only getting to the free throw line four times. UD shot 10 free throws through the first half, making nine.
Following halftime, the Blue Hens shot three for three in the first six minutes, extending their lead to 12 at the next media timeout. The break came with 13:59 to play as UD led 44-32. Delaware’s fourth-year forward, Jyáre Davis, led all scorers with 14 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field up to that point.
Davis continued his strong performance with two more three-pointers to make his total 20. Estevez responded with points of his own to cut the deficit to 50-39. With 12:32 remaining in the half, Estevez led the Rams with 11 points – his second straight double-digit game.
The first-year scored two more points before the game went into another timeout with 11:23 to go. Rhody had trimmed the deficit to single digits, trailing 50-41.
“Cam has done a really good job handling the ball for us,” URI Head Coach Archie Miller said postgame. “He’s a better decision maker as a freshman than most guys and I think what he’s doing right now with extended minutes will continue.”
The Blue Hens responded with a 6-0 run of their own to make the lead 14. The run spanned over two minutes until Rams second-year forward Rory Stewart ended the UD run with a three-pointer. The bucket made the score 57-46 with 7:56 to play. Stewart had already topped his season high in minutes, with URI missing first-year center David Fuchs and second-year forward Josaphat Bilau due to injury.
Stewart continued his performance with a three pointer that forced Delaware to take a timeout with 4:38 remaining. The basket brought the Rams back within 10 points of Delaware, down 59-50.
Delaware fought back with four straight points before the next timeout with 3:45 remaining. The Rams got up to 19 turnovers on the night before the stoppage, a season high for the team. The Blue Hens continued to capitalize on the Rams mistakes with 17 points off of turnovers.
“Turnovers killed us,” Miller said postgame. “Turnovers not only at the end of the first [half] but also in a good portion of the second [half]. You’re not going to win with 20 turnovers against a team like Delaware, a very very experienced team.”
Rhody got two straight blocks on defense but it was too late for a comeback as UD wrapped up a 67-54 victory over the Rams.
Rhode Island fell to 5-6, losing their fourth straight matchup. Saturday’s game was the fourth time this season that the Rams trailed by single digits at halftime but lost by 10 or more.
Up next, URI will face the University of New Hampshire at the Ryan Center on Thursday at 6 p.m., which can be streamed on ESPN+.