For the first time since 1947, the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team moved to 8-0 this week with a pair of close wins over the University of Texas at Arlington on Thursday, then Yale University on Monday.
Rhode Island wrapped up a two-game slate at the Jacksonville Classic on Thanksgiving by taking down UT Arlington 83-78, which marked the closest game of its season to this point. The Rams were led by strong guard play from third-year Jamarques Lawrence and fourth-year Sebastian Thomas, who each had 18 points.
Both sides went blow-for-blow throughout the opening half, with neither team holding a lead greater than five points. The Rams closed the half in a groove offensively, with six consecutive field goals made to take a slim 44-41 lead into the locker room. Thomas was the main catalyst throughout the opening 20 minutes with 16 points on 7-10 shooting.
Out of the break, Rhode Island struggled to find the same efficiency on offense with just 4 points in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Mavericks took advantage of this scoring drought to regain the lead with just over 14 minutes remaining on a 3-pointer from fifth-year guard Jaden Wells.
Fifth-year forward David Green made sure the Rams didn’t trail for long with triples on two straight possessions to take a 59-53 lead, one that they didn’t let up. UT Arlington cut it to a two-point game with 2:52 left, but Rhode Island was able to hold off the late charge on its way to the five-point victory.
Following their successful trip to Jacksonville, the Rams returned to the Ryan Center on Monday night for a showdown with Yale. In a back-and-forth game that included 13 lead changes, Rhode Island rode a strong performance from the free throw line, making 27 of its 30 attempts, on its way to a 84-78 victory over the Bulldogs.
“Tonight was a fantastic win, I can’t tell you how proud I am of our guys,” URI Head Coach Archie Miller said. “Being able to grind away and stay with it and find a way to make big plays, we did that.”
Despite both teams ranking inside the top-20 in the nation in field goal percentage heading into the matchup, both got off to a slow start offensively. The Rams particularly struggled, as they missed seven of their first eight shots and scored just two points in the opening 4:30.
“First half offense, I thought they really bottled us up,” Miller said. “We didn’t share it, we weren’t spraying the ball around like we needed to and we struggled offensively.”
The Bulldogs took their biggest lead of the game in the closing moments of the first half on a basket from fourth-year guard John Poulakidas that made it 35-28 with 1:40 remaining. Rhode Island got a much-needed response from Green, who had a season-high 26 points, as he knocked down threes on back-to-back possessions, including one to beat the buzzer that cut the deficit to 35-34 heading into the locker room.
The Rams flipped the game on its head with a 14-2 run in the second half to take a seven-point lead with seven minutes left. Thomas, who had 20 points and 6 assists, capped off the run with a shot from beyond the arc that put him over 1,000 points in his collegiate career.
“I knew going into the season I was going to hit my 1,000-point mark, but I wanted it to be at the Ryan Center so it could be in front of friends and family,” Thomas said. “I’m just excited and happy, it’s just a blessing.”
The Bulldogs refused to go away down the stretch and made it a three-point game with 19 seconds left. The Rams would not let it get any closer than this, though, as they went 11-12 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to secure their eighth consecutive victory and remain undefeated on the season.
With the win, URI is off to its best start in 77 years. The result placed Miller alongside Frank Keaney as the only coaches in program history to start 8-0 or better.
“We’re really trying to get this place back at a level where we have great spirit about us again,” Miller said. “I’m happy for our school, I’m happy for our players, I’m happy for our fanbase.”
Rhode Island will look to stay undefeated when they welcome Providence College to the Ryan Center for the Ocean State Rivalry on Saturday at noon. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with radio broadcasts available on WRIU 90.3 FM and The Varsity Network.