Here's how Rhode Island basketball topped UMass to hit bye week on high note

Here’s how Rhode Island basketball topped UMass to hit bye week on high note

Posted by author January 30, 2025 Basketball

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SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Avoiding a third straight conference loss was the only goal for the University of Rhode Island men.

That would have left a rancid taste with the Rams entering their Atlantic 10 bye week. The midpoint of the league schedule coincides with some time off, and URI just about got the job done against old rival Massachusetts.

Sebastian Thomas and Jaden House connected on some critical free throws inside the final 46.6 seconds to stop the Minutemen from completing their rally. The Rams crossed the line with an 88-82 victory at the Ryan Center, one that came after nearly squandering a 21-point lead with 16:27 to play.

“We had just enough of a lead to hang on,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “If it goes another couple minutes who knows what’s going to happen out there. I’m just really happy for our group.”

Daniel Hankins-Sanford swished a jumper from the left elbow to make it an 82-80 game with 1:12 left. It was the first time UMass had cut its deficit to a single possession since late in the first half, and URI seemed in jeopardy. Thomas drew a foul at the other end and notched his first points of the second half at the ideal time.

“I told them it was a must-win situation for us,” Miller said. “You never want to drop two in a row in the league. Anything more than two starts to get a little sticky, and we responded tonight.”

The Minutemen used some dominance on the glass to make their run, converting 19 offensive rebounds into 23 points on second chances. Jayden Ndjigue’s layup was the last of them, cutting the UMass deficit to 78-73. Hankins-Sanford sandwiched a 3-pointer and his jumper around two free throws from Jaylen Curry, and the Rams were scrambling in front of 4,664 fans.

“We couldn’t rebound effectively in the second half to sort of hold the margin,” Miller said. “It was all rebounding.”

URI threw what looked like the knockout punch starting the second half, opening on a 13-0 run. The Rams connected on each of their first five shots, including a trio of makes from beyond the arc. Jamarques Lawrence accounted for the last two, and his transition jumper from the right corner capped the URI cushion at 59-38.

“They weren’t as sharp and we took advantage of it,” Miller said. “Especially in transition, we were able to get going right away.”

Some self-inflicted trouble gnawed at what should have been a comfortable lead. David Fuchs was hit with a technical foul after a made layup and Cam Estevez was called for a Flagrant 1 with Thomas racing away from the field for a layup. The Rams could have restored a five-possession lead with 8:45 to play – the Minutemen had a window to start the climb back instead.

“If you look at those two plays it’s probably a five- or seven-point swing right there, and that can’t happen,” Miller said. “Good teams don’t beat themselves.”

URI (15-6, 4-5 Atlantic 10) turned the 165th meeting between the two schools for good late in the first half. The Rams committed just one turnover between the 6:59 and 1:01 marks, giving their offense a chance to catch fire. The hosts launched a 21-5 run to take a 46-38 lead into the break.

Thomas notched a four-point play to give URI the lead, drilling a jumper from the left wing and sinking a following free throw to snap a 31-31 tie. David Green’s floater made it 41-34 and forced a UMass timeout, but the Rams kept running from there. Thomas buried another wing 3-pointer off an Estevez steal and it was a 12-point game with 1:24 left.

“The guys that we’re counting on to produce were much better tonight,” Miller said.

Rahsool Diggins Jr. topped all scorers with 27 points for UMass (9-12, 4-4), which entered winners in four of its last five. The Minutemen will exit the league at the close of this season to join the Mid-American Conference. UMass and URI will lock up one more time in a March 1 grudge match at Mullins Center.

“You expect the game to be hard,” Miller said. “You expect the game to go to the final wire. Just because you have a 20-point lead doesn’t mean they’re not going to make another swing at it.”

MASSACHUSETTS (82): Jaylen Curry 4-13 4-5 15, Daniel Rivera 5-12 3-6 13, Rahsool Diggins Jr. 10-21 5-7 27, Jayden Ndjigue 1-4 1-1 3, Malek Abdelgowad 0-4 2-2 2, Daniel Hankins-Sanford 5-8 1-3 12, Nate Guerengomba 1-2 0-0 2, Marqui Worthy Jr. 2-4 0-0 4, Shahid Muhammad 2-3 0-0 4, Akil Watson 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 30-72 6-22 82.

RHODE ISLAND (88): Sebastian Thomas 6-11 8-10 22, Jaden House 5-9 9-11 19, Jamarques Lawrence 5-9 0-0 13, David Green 7-10 2-2 18, Javonte Brown 4-5 0-1 8, Cam Estevez 0-2 0-0 0, Quentin Diboundje 0-1 2-2 2, David Fuchs 2-4 0-1 4, Drissa Traore 1-2 0-0 2; Totals 30-53 21-27 88.

Halftime – RI, 46-38. 3-pointers – M 6-22 (Curry 3-6, Rivera 0-1, Diggins 2-10, Ndjigue 0-1, Abdelgowad 0-1, Hankins-Sanford 1-2, Watson 0-1), RI 7-18 (Thomas 2-5, House 0-2, Lawrence 3-7, Green 2-3, Estevez 0-1). Rebounds – M 39 (Rivera 7), RI 34 (Thomas 8). Assists – M 10 (Curry 3, Ndjigue 3), RI 15 (Thomas 7).

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25