Late push falls short as Rams' offense stumbles vs. Dayton

Photo courtesy of Shane Donaldson - gorhody.com

The typical late comeback bid from Rhode Island men’s basketball wasn’t enough to save a vital late season matchup with Dayton on Wednesday. 

Although four Rams finished in double-figures, URI shot just 2-19 from distance on the night and gave the ball away 19 times, allowing an efficient Dayton offense to score 23 points off the Rhode Island turnover. The Rams fell 85-77 to the Flyers in a game that could be detrimental to URI’s A-10 tournament fate with just three games remaining.

Rhody came out hot from the tip, shooting nearly 70 percent from the field in the opening eight minutes and taking an early lead over the Flyers when senior guard Jaden House, junior guard Jamarques Lawrence and senior center Javonte Brown combined for a 6-6 start from the floor. After senior guard Sebastian Thomas got in on the action – sparking a 7-0 run with a crafty left-handed scoop, a steal and a physical and-one charge – the Rams took a 24-15 lead into the under-12 timeout.

“The first ten minutes of the game, we had a way about us early in the game that we were in control,” head coach Archie Miller said. “We played with great pace, we had great movement, we were able to attack the paint in a really good way.”

However, things quickly took a dark turn for Rhode Island, who couldn’t seem to get much of anything going in the back half of the first 20 minutes. Through the next seven minutes and change, the Rams went 0-10, turned the ball over five times, and allowed Dayton to control the floor with a 14-1 run to turn the game on its head. 

“[Dayton] switched and went to a zone, and in about a three or four minute stretch, we probably had six possessions of three wide open shots that didn't go in,” Miller said. “[It] kind of really stagnated us.”

With three minutes to go in the half, David Green eventually stopped the bleeding when he took contact on a mid-range floater, but it wasn’t enough to bring back the early lead as the Rams went into the locker room down 33-30.

Out of the locker room, things continued to go from bad to worse for the hosts. Dayton quickly took charge of a 12-2 run heading into the first timeout, stretching a one-possession halftime lead to double-figures in the space of just three minutes. With 16 minutes to go, the Flyers led 45-34.

“In the second half, our defense caved early,” Miller said. “And when our defense caved early, their press was able to get set up. As they pressured us, pressed us, dropped man, dropped zone, they took the rhythm out of the game…we had a really hard time adjusting.”

The Flyers continued their relentless pressure down the stretch, more than doubling the Rams’ score in the second half en route to a 20-point lead with more than 11 minutes to play. As both teams entered the double-bonus, Thomas was forced to sit on four fouls after just nine minutes, further limiting Miller’s offensive rotation.

The game wasn’t over quite yet. Just when they looked down and out, the Rams were able to string together some stops, working the better end of a 13-6 run to bring the game back within single-digits with seven minutes left. House and Green led the charge with a set of big and-one plays as the Flyers went cold, making a game of it late.

“To our guys' credit, it was really important for us to [say], ‘let's find a way here, let's find a way to keep digging in,’” Miller said. “Being down 20 at home isn't easy, [we cut] that down to six with the ball a couple times, but we weren't good enough to win.”

Although Rhody was able to trim the lead to single-digits, the Flyers continued to keep their distance with efficient three-point shooting, and it was enough to keep the Rams at bay. Despite a spirited late push, the Rams still struggled to execute when it mattered, and it cost them their third home loss of the year at the worst time. 

Up next, the Rams will travel to UMass for the final time as A-10 rivals, facing a must-win situation to keep their hopes of a first A-10 tournament bye under Archie Miller alive. Tip-off from the Mullins Center is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.