Seniors on the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team were honored, and tournament seeds were set on Saturday in Kingston, as Rhody took down Fordham University 86-67 in their final regular season game.
Prior to the game, senior day ceremonies were held commemorating the Rhode Island careers of fifth-year Javonte Brown, fourth-year Quentin Diboundje, fifth-year David Green, fifth-year Jaden House and fourth-year Sebastian Thomas. This group would deliver on the hardwood, combining for 53 of the team’s 86 points, including a 20-point game from Thomas and a 19-point game from House.
Thomas, a Providence native, played his 46th and final game at the Ryan Center in front of his family.
“It didn’t feel real at first,” Thomas said. “[In the] first half, I kind of played bad. I was sluggish. I feel like some of the other seniors were too, it’s a tough game. But we picked it up at [the] half.”
Along with his point total, Thomas tallied seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
After losing its Feb. 5 matchup against Fordham 80-79 in The Bronx, New York, Rhody came out early and never took their foot off the gas, going up 12-5 by the first media timeout. URI scored all 12 points in the paint.
Fordham would not see a lead for the entirety of the game.
URI was bolstered by sound defense as well, holding Fordham under 10 points until 11:13 left in the first half.
For the visiting Rams, three-point shooting proved a futile strategy as Fordham opened up the first half shooting 3-13 from beyond the arc, and only slightly improved in the second half, going 3-12. Rhode Island, sticking with what worked, continued to attack down low, finishing the game with 42 points in the paint.
Rhody led 41-32 by the end of the first half, and they continued to build on their lead throughout the second. With 4:57 left in the game, Green eclipsed 1,000 career points with a layup to go up 73-58.
For Fordham, fourth-year guard Jackie Johnson III led the team in scoring with 19 points while shooting 7-18 from the field.
As the final buzzer sounded, the score read 86-67, and Rhode Island evened the season series at 1-1. By the time the press conference rolled around, the A-10 Tournament seedings had already been set, with both teams primed for a rematch on Wednesday.
“We’ve played [Fordham] twice, and we’ve played effectively offensively [in] those two games,” Rhode Island Head Coach Archie Miller said.
Thomas described the upcoming A-10 Tournament as a new season, where “anyone can beat anyone.” The team-wide belief is that despite being seeded 10th in the bracket, the Rams can still make an impact, according to Miller.
“When you go into the conference tournament, it’s really about who wants to stay,” Miller said. “You’ve got to play extremely hard in March to advance in any tournament, and when you advance in a conference tournament, you have an advantage because other teams [are] sitting and waiting around.”
With Miller seeking his first A-10 Tournament win as a Ram, Rhode Island will travel to Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. on Wednesday for its rematch against Fordham at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on USA Network, with radio broadcasts available on WRIU 90.3 FM and The Varsity Network.
