The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team took its first win over Brown University since 2018 on Tuesday, taking down the Bears 66-56.
For Rhode Island Head Coach Archie Miller, it was his first victory over Brown during his tenure after losses in the last three seasons.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for their program; I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they compete,” Miller said. “They’ve earned victories, and we earned one tonight.”
Brown started strong with the game’s first six points, but Rhode Island responded to tie with a three-pointer from fifth-year forward Alex Crawford, followed by an and-one layup for seventh-year guard Tyler Cochran.
Cochran got the Rams their first lead with a second-chance layup set up by a rebound from fifth-year forward Keeyan Itejere.
Rhode Island’s defense held the Bears scoreless for nearly six minutes, but the Rams could only score seven points themselves in the stretch to build a 13-8 lead.
The teams traded points until URI got up 18-12, but Brown fought back with its own strong stretch. As Rhody was held scoreless for almost five minutes, the Bears put up 11 points, their longest run of the game.
Third-year swingman Jahmere Tripp stopped the drought for the Rams with an and-one. Tripp took the lead on the next drive, knocking down his only three-pointer of the game.
Rhody went back and forth with the Bears and finished the first half ahead 31-29, making the most of their chances at the free-throw line with Brown falling into foul trouble late.
URI came out of halftime strong, with Cochran scoring the first five points before sixth-year guard Myles Corey put an exclamation point on the seven-point run with a dunk.
“I thought our guys coming out in the second half set a better tone defensively,” Miller said. “Our defense created some offense in that first eight minutes to give ourselves a little bit of a cushion.”
The Rams remained ahead by multiple possessions for the remainder of the game, growing to a double-digit lead in the final seven minutes.
Another dominant defensive stretch held Brown to 1-12 from the field as URI scored nine points to take a game-high 63-50 lead.
Tripp tied with Cochran as the game’s leading scorers with 17 points apiece. Cochran also added 10 rebounds to secure his first double-double of the season. As a team, the Rams had eight players in the scoring column.
“We have a very coachable group,” Miller said. “We have a high character level; they pull for one another. We have had very few days where we have to address anything. I think that’s a credit to the kids; I think it’s a credit to them playing to win and developing.”
Fourth-year guard Jonah Hinton had a quiet night after a career-high 25-point performance on seven three-point makes against Temple University on Nov. 26. Hinton was scoreless in the first half before finishing with eight points on 2-10 shooting; despite this, he led the team in minutes.
“I don’t evaluate Jonah on his shots,” Miller said. “Jonah is as trusted as anyone we have in terms of his accountability on defense and his sturdiness on defense, his conditioning level. He’s very consistent and accountable regardless of how his shots are going.”
After checking off one in-state rival with the win over Brown, the Rams will renew their storied rivalry with Providence College on Saturday. Despite a victory at home last season, URI still trails in the all-time series, 75-59.
“That game is on your mind 365 days a year,” Miller said. “It is one of the most underrated games in college basketball.”
The 135th edition of the battle for the Ocean State is set to tip off at noon. It will be broadcast on TruTV and available on the radio on WRIU 90.3 FM and The Varsity Network.
