Rhode Island basketball loses in Atlantic 10 contest at Saint Joseph’s
PHILADELPHIA — Rhode Island’s road troubles continue as Saint Joseph’s Cameron Brown had 18 points to lead the Hawks 64-50 past the Rams in Wednesday night’s Atlantic 10 fight.
Brown added eight rebounds and six steals for the Hawks (11-11, 5-5 Atlantic 10 Conference). Erik Reynolds II shot 5 of 12 (3 for 6 from long range) to add 15 points. It was URI’s 13th straight loss on the road, dating back to a win on Jan. 15, 2022 in Massachusetts.
Rhode Island coach Archie Miller said he was pleased with his team’s adjustments in the second half but lamented another tough offensive display.
“We just couldn’t hide,” Miller said. “Whether it was possible to switch, botched passes, missed lay-ups, it wasn’t easy for us offensively tonight.
“We were struggling to share the ball and it’s actually a bit discouraging because I thought we had so many opportunities to get back into the game we just couldn’t take them.”
The Rams were 10 points down at the break, thanks largely to outside shots from the Hawks’ Reynolds and Brown.
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The Rams (8-14, 4-6) were led by Brayon Freeman, who had 14 points and three steals. Malik Martin added seven points, 13 rebounds and four assists for Rhode Island. Ishmael Leggett had seven points and eight rebounds. Rhode Island flipped the ball 18 times.
“Our defense was good enough in the second half to get back into the game,” said Miller, “but our offense wasn’t.”
URI shot 9 of 28 (32.1%) from the floor in the second half, including 0 of 7 from the arc. Saint Joseph’s was only marginally better, hitting 11 of 33 (33%) and going 0-for-9 from long range. With both sides struggling to play offensively, the Hawks were able to keep Rhode Island at a distance and secure the win.
Rhode Island next plays in St. Louis on Tuesday.
URL (50): Tchikou 3-5 0-0 6, Carey 1-3 0-0 2, Freeman 5-15 4-6 14, Leggett 2-11 2-3 7, Martin 3-7 1-2 7, Weston 3-9 1-2 7, Thomas 2-6 0-0 4, Samb 1-2 0-0 2, Stewart 0-1 1-2 1, Hutchinson 0-0 0-0 0. Overall: 20-59 9-15 50 .
SAINT JOSEPH (64): Fleming 1-4 1-2 3, Obinna 3-5 2-5 8, Brown 8-19 0-0 18, Greer 5-12 2-3 12, Reynolds 5-12 2-2 15, Winborne 2-5 1-2 6, Bleechmore 0-2 0-0 0, Coleman 1-2 0-1 2. Overall: 25-61 8-15 64.
Halftime – St. Joseph 36-26. 3-Point Goals – Rhode Island 1-13 (Leggett 1-4, Stewart 0-1, Weston 0-1, Martin 0-2, Thomas 0-2, Freeman 0-3), Saint Joseph’s 6-25 (Reynolds 3-6, Brown 2-11, Winborne 1-4, Greer 0-1, Fleming 0-3). Fouled out – Reynolds. Rebounds – Rhode Island 42 (Martin 13), Saint Joseph’s 37 (Braun 8). Assists – Rhode Island 6 (Martin 4), Saint Joseph’s 10 (Greer 4). Total fouls – Rhode Island 15, Saint Joseph’s 14.
