The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team dropped back below .500 in conference play with a 76-61 loss at the hands of Duquesne University on Sunday afternoon.
Following the first three-game winning streak in conference play, the visiting Rams rolled into Pittsburgh as a 4-2 team on the road. Last year, the team finished with a 1-9 record away from the Ryan Center.
Despite a combined 47 points being scored between Rhody seventh-year guard Tyler Cochran, third-year guard Jahmere Tripp and sixth-year guard Myles Corey, the Rams were unable to catch up with the Dukes.
Third-year guard Jimmie Williams for the Dukes stepped up to the task, notching 15 points in the first half. Williams knocked down three of Duquesne’s seven first-half triples within the first five minutes of the half, building a six-point lead on the Rams.
Cochran countered as the lone Rhody scorer with a seven-point three-minute stretch, but it was only enough to fend off the Dukes momentarily.
A pair of Williams’ free throws started and ended the Dukes’ 10-point run late in the first half, extending their lead to 13. First-year guard Jalen Harper cut the lead to 10 with a three-pointer, ending the half trailing 37-27.
While the Rams continued to struggle from the charity line to begin the second half, Duquesne capitalized, converting 14 of its 15 free throws. Williams’ fifth and sixth free throws of the contest pushed the Dukes’ lead to 14 just five minutes into the half.
URI showed signs of life midway through the half with a triple by fifth-year guard RJ Johnson, which sparked a 12-2 scoring run that put the Rams within five points. However, that was as close as they’d get.
An 11-point run by the Dukes effectively ended any Rhody momentum within the game’s final five minutes. Williams’ fourth from beyond the arc poetically capped off the Dukes’ scoring.
One of the few difference-makers came in the form of bench points, as the Dukes’ bench players notched 26 points in comparison to six points by the Rhody bench.
The Rams were also out-rebounded 38 to 28, and only went 9-18 from the line compared to Duquesne’s 20-22 shooting at the stripe.
For the Dukes, who sit second-to-last in the conference defensively by allowing the average opponent to score 76.7 points per game, defense made the biggest difference.
“It’s not a mystery of what’s been happening in our losses, right?” Duquesne Head Coach Dru Joyce III said. “We haven’t defended well. This afternoon, I thought we made some progress in that area.”
Compared to URI’s three-game winning streak, the Dukes came in after an 87-79 loss to St. Bonaventure University, whose conference record is 2-7.
“[URI] walked in here with some confidence to them,” Joyce III said. “I thought we played really well throughout the game, so hopefully we can continue to build on that.”
URI returns home on Saturday, facing off against the University of Richmond at 2 p.m. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with radio coverage from The Varsity Network and WRIU 90.3 F.M.
