The late season woes continued for the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team as their losing streak was extended to seven games with losses to Saint Louis University and George Mason University this week.
Rhode Island welcomed Saint Louis into the Ryan Center on Saturday afternoon, looking for their first win since Feb. 6. The game was a back-and-forth, high scoring affair that came down to the final shot.
“I thought the game was really well played,” URI Head Coach Archie Miller said postgame. “Both teams played at a pretty high level offensively.”
Saint Louis shot the ball well throughout the game, ending with a 54% field goal percentage, but they got off to a particularly hot start as they made their first five field goal attempts of the game. Still, the Rams were able to go blow for blow with them and continue to trade baskets throughout the opening minutes.
“Today, we were ready to play,” Miller said. “Great spirit [at practice] the last two days, guys were ready to go and I thought for the most part we played pretty hard.”
Rhode Island got to the free throw line early and often, shooting 16 free throws before the Billikens attempted a single one. The conversion rate was a problem, though, as they only made 9-17 from the line in the opening half. The Rams also had a significant advantage on the offensive glass in the first 20 minutes with eight offensive rebounds compared to just three for Saint Louis.
Despite these discrepancies, the Billikens still held a slim 40-39 lead at the half. They were led by their shooting from beyond the arc, making seven of 14 attempts. Third-year guard Zek Montgomery had 11 points for the Rams, and third-year forward David Green joined him in double digits with 10 points on 4-6 shooting.
For a stretch of five minutes early in the second half, neither team held more than a one possession lead. However, the Rams started to turn the ball over at a higher rate which led to opportunities for Saint Louis to create some separation. After a three pointer from fourth-year guard Gibson Jimmerson, part of his 21 point second half performance, SLU had taken a 77-68 lead with six minutes left.
“I know that every single time we turned it over [it] led to something down at the other end,” Miller said. “They got into a nice little run there with defense to offense which gave them the lead.”
URI would not be turned away easily, though, as they tied the game at 81 on a three point play from fourth-year guard Luis Kortright with 3:30 left. The Rams caught fire offensively down the stretch, going on a six-minute run where they made seven straight field goal attempts.
The final minutes involved many different momentum swings and lead changes with each team seemingly having a response for the other. After Jimmerson knocked down a free throw with eight seconds left to give Saint Louis a 94-91 lead, Rhode Island would have one last chance to tie it up and send it to overtime.
Green was the one to take the final shot for the Rams, but his three pointer went off the front rim as the buzzer sounded, giving SLU a 94-91 victory. Green finished with 21 points for the Rams with Kortright adding 20 of his own along with eight rebounds and assists. Meanwhile, Jimmerson scored a season-high 30 points for the Billikens.
“Good offense sometimes beats good effort,” Miller said. “That being said, when you score 91 points in your home arena and you lose the game, it’s a shame.”
Despite the recent struggles, the focus for Rhode Island remained on turning the page and continuing to prepare for the next one, according to Kortright.
“We’re in a rough patch of the season right now with consecutive losses,” Kortright said. “But, we just know [if] we keep fighting and fighting, it’s eventually going to follow through.”
Their next opportunity would come on Wednesday night against George Mason in their final home game of the season. In a stark contrast to their matchup earlier this season – a 92-84 George Mason win on Jan. 27 – both sides struggled to find a groove offensively in this one.
Although this game was much lower scoring, the Rams found themselves in another close battle throughout a majority of the opening half. The game remained within single digits until fourth-year guard Woody Newton knocked down a three with 4:30 left in the opening half to give the Patriots a 28-18 lead.
Despite being held to under 40% from the field, George Mason held a 32-23 lead at the half. The offensive struggles were even more prevalent for the Rams, shooting 29% and making just one field goal attempt in the final seven minutes of the half.
This trend continued for Rhode Island coming out of the locker room as they were held scoreless for more than four minutes until first-year guard Connor Dubsky made one from beyond the arc. George Mason used the drought to go on an 8-0 run and extend their lead to 17.
Kortright started to provide a spark for the Rams, scoring seven points in the span of 1:30 and cutting it to 51-41 with nine minutes left. However, the lead proved to be insurmountable and would just grow from this point.
In the end, George Mason cruised to a 69-51 victory to hand Rhode Island their seventh straight loss. The Patriots were led by 21 points from fourth-year guard Darius Maddox, while Green led the Rams in points for the second straight game with 16.
Next up, URI will travel to play Fordham University at 1 p.m. on Saturday for one final regular season tune-up before the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.