Rams Fade Against Boston University

KINGSTON – Thanks a porous defense from the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team, Boston University got their first win of the season, 70-64, at the Ryan Center.

The Rams (1-4) held an 11-point lead with 14:58 remaining, and seemed poised to coast to a victory. URI took off its press at the start of the second half, and as a result, was momentarily playing better defense.

However, BU (1-4) scored nine of the next 12 points, and finished the game by outscoring URI 36-19. The Rams couldn’t stop Boston University in the paint, whether it was on drives or transition buckets.

The Terriers finished with 42 points in the paint, despite not having a traditional back-to-the-basket post-up player. BU struggled from distance, shooting 4-for-14 from 3-point range, but shared the ball well and had 17 team assists.

In contrast, URI’s offense looked awkward and forced the entire night. Orion Outerbridge and Nikola Malesevic had 16 and 15 points respectively, but both shot under 50 percent. No other URI player reached double figures.

The Rams struggled for a second night in a row with shot selection, launching 3-point shots that BU was happy to let them take. The Terriers switched to a zone in the second half. Jamal Wilson only hit two shots, and missed four 3-pointers.

URI finished 6-for-21 from outside, and only got to the line 12 times, settling for jumpers. Despite BU not pressing much, the Rams turned the ball over 15 times; the terriers only had four blocks and four steals.

The Rams were unable to use their depth to their advantage. BU only goes about six players deep, but URI’s bench combined for just eight points and two rebounds in 43 minutes, between Dominique McKoy, Levan Shengelia, T.J. Buchanan, Ryan Brooks and Anthony Malhoit.

Also for the second straight night, not many saw the Rams play. The listed attendance was 3,069, but there were plenty of no-shows. The first game, with Cleveland State losing to Hofstra, was also lightly attended.

We will have another live blog for Sunday’s game, as the Rams attempt to deal a second straight loss to Cleveland State. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. The for the blog remains the same.