Rams now 2-5 after Thanksgiving break
Ishmael Leggett dropped a career-high 34 points against Tulane. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team took a road trip to the Cayman Islands and Boston College this past week. The long stretch of travel was underwhelming for the Rams, as they lost several close games, returning home with a trip record of 1-4.
The first competition saw Rhody taking on a tough Kansas State opponent. The Wildcats started hot, escaping to a fast 14-2 lead, powered by a 1-6 start from the field on Rhody’s end.
This dominance was a trend for the entirety of the first half, Kansas State headed into the locker room with a 44-27 lead, powered by 26 points in the paint. Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 13 points in the first half, matching URI’s leading scorer for the entire game.
The second half was a tighter contest, with Kansas State only outscoring Rhody 33-30. They also came back in the rebounding department for the half, beating the Wildcats on the glass 16-15 for the half.
Despite the 77-57 loss, Rhode Island displayed a few bright spots in the defeat, which dropped them to a record of 1-3. Ishmael Leggett led Rhody with 13 points, while Brandon Weston recorded his first career double-double, with 10 points and rebounds respectively.
The second matchup for Rhode Island was a thriller against Tulane. Rhody was bested in the first half 38-29 behind Tulane’s 14 points off 10 URI turnovers that allowed the Green Wave to head into halftime with the advantage.
The second half saw a dramatic comeback attempt. With 13 minutes remaining, Tulane led 56-43. However, a 12-0 run from Rhody changed the tide of the game and brought them within one at the nine minute mark.
Rhody kept the game close throughout the remainder of the game, but could never regain the lead. Two missed three point attempts from Leggett and Brayon Freeman gave Rhody the 78-75 loss.
Leggett’s career-best 34 points served as Rhode Island’s highlight of the night. His seven three-point field goals made him the 12th player in program history to reach the mark. Leggett also recorded five rebounds and four assists. Freeman also had a solid scoring input, recording 18 points on the night.
The third and final game saw Rhode Island finally find some success against Illinois State. The Rhode Island bench shined in the contest with a 27 point effort, which was the difference maker while a 47-28 rebounding advantage set a solid foundation for a URI victory.
The first half was controlled mostly by Illinois State until 14 seconds left in the half, when Rory Stewart took the lead 24-22 with a late layup. The second half was all Freeman as he scored 15 points in the half, enough to gain separation from the Redbirds, earning a 57-44 win.
Head Coach Archie Miller credited the team’s resilience despite a lot of chaos in their three games in the Cayman Islands, specifically the arrival of third year forward Josephat Bilau who made his debut against Kansas State and logged 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
“We are still figuring a lot of things out so I give credit to these kids for fighting hard these past few days,” Miller said. “Josaphat [Bilau] hadn’t even practiced for us before this trip and we saw what he could do, there were definitely some good takeaways.”
The Rams closed their road trip with a visit at Chestnut Hill, when they took on the Boston College Eagles. The Rams stuck with the Eagles for a majority of the game, keeping the contest tied at 28 heading into halftime.
In the second half, URI took the lead, and had a 47-44 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the half. However, missing their last seven field goals allowed Boston College to creep back into the lead. The Eagles won 53-49.
After the game, Boston College Head Coach Steve Donahue gave credit to URI’s rebounding.
“Rhode Island did a terrific job in where they thought they had an advantage, which was the offensive glass,” Donahue said. “They do that well, it’s something I always look at.”
Rhode Island is back in action on Saturday when they host the Providence Friars in their biggest rivalry game of the year. Tip-off at the Ryan Center is at 5 p.m.