The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the young season to the University of Tulsa on Friday by using a dominant defensive effort to take down Stonehill College 80-57 on Tuesday.
After convincingly defeating Stetson University in the season opener on Nov. 3, the Rams made the trip to Annapolis, Maryland, for a matchup with Tulsa at the annual Veteran’s Classic.
Seventh-year guard Tyler Cochran, who was URI’s leading scorer with 17 points against Stetson, picked up right where he left off by scoring eight of the Rams’ first 13 points of the night on Friday to give them a 13-11 lead. Following a three-pointer from third-year Jahmere Tripp to put URI ahead 16-11, the Rams went on a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes that allowed Tulsa to go on a 16-0 run and build a commanding lead.
The run by the Golden Hurricane was capped off by a three-ball from third-year guard Ade Popoola, which marked the team’s fifth make from beyond the arc in their first 10 attempts. Rhody began to claw their way back into the game toward the end of the first half, as they went into the locker room trailing 34-27. Cochran scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting in the first half, while the rest of the Rams had just 17 points and were 6-18 from the field.
The Rams had trouble taking care of the basketball to begin the second half, committing five turnovers in the first three minutes, and Tulsa took full advantage by going on a 13-3 run to stretch its lead all the way to 17 points. The Golden Hurricane also cleaned up on the offensive boards, with their first 11 points of the second half coming on second-chance opportunities.
Sixth-year David Green, who was a top-two scorer at URI in each of the past two seasons, shone against his former team by leading Tulsa with 14 points, along with collecting five rebounds and four assists. The Golden Hurricane overpowered Rhody in the second half, outscoring them 46-36 and shooting 60% from three-point range to secure a 17-point victory.
Following the double-digit loss, the Rams got three days off before returning to the Ryan Center to take on Stonehill on Tuesday. Similarly to the Tulsa game, a lengthy run in the first half changed the course of this matchup; however, this time it was URI who didn’t look back after a 13-0 spurt to cruise to a 23-point win and move back over .500.
“You don’t know early in the year when you get kicked in the teeth, so to speak, what they’re going to do,” URI Head Coach Archie Miller said. “I’m just proud of the way that they came back, figured some things out and got better.”
It was a sloppy start for both sides, with the teams combining for just five points in the first five minutes while turning the ball over six times. Fourth-year guard Jonah Hinton provided a much-needed spark for the Rams by scoring five of their first nine points to give them a slim 9-8 lead.
The URI defense continued to cause issues for the Skyhawks, as the Rams forced five turnovers in the span of three minutes to take a double-digit lead about halfway through the first half. Stonehill gave the ball away 21 times during the contest, with Rhody scoring 30 points off those turnovers.
“Since day one of being here, the coaches’ emphasis has been get the ball out and let’s go; let’s run and try to be one of the fastest teams in America,” Cochran said. “When we can have our defense leading to offense, it’s something we try and key in on every time no matter who we’re playing.”
After URI held a 39-21 advantage at halftime, Cochran was a defensive menace to begin the second half with three steals in the first four minutes. He continued to wreak havoc on the defensive end, finishing with nine steals to set a new program record for a single game.
“Personally, it feels good leaving a mark here at Rhode Island,” Cochran said. “My teammates and coaching staff that believe in me to be a player or somebody that helps lead the team, not just by my voice but actions as well, means more than just going out there and trying to break records.”
Stonehill hung around throughout a majority of the second half, but was never able to close the gap any closer than 12 points. An 11-0 stretch by the Rams in the final minutes allowed them to build their lead up over 20 and put the game to bed for an 80-57 victory.
Rhody had four different players in double figures in the win, as Cochran and Hinton led the way with 16 points apiece.
URI will look to build on this victory when it welcomes the University at Albany to the Ryan Center at 7 p.m. on Friday. The game will stream on ESPN+, with radio broadcasts available on The Varsity Network and WRIU 90.3 FM.
