Rams hang on for home win
URI’s Cox proud of way squad fought through adversity
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — In timeout huddles over the final minute of Wednesday’s game, the mantra was simple among University of Rhode Island players.
“Just win the game, however we can,” Ishmael El-Amin said.
That mindset applied to the whole of a rugged game, and the Rams did indeed win it. On the heels of its most complete performance of the season on Saturday, Rhody trailed by as many as 12 in the first half against La Salle, failed to take advantage of opportunities to grab full control in the second half and finished with their second-lowest point total of the season. They survived it all for a 56-54 victory at the Ryan Center.
“I’m trying to think back this season to a time when I’ve been more proud of this group because of the adversity we fought through,” URI head coach David Cox said. “La Salle came to play. I give La Salle and Ashley Howard a lot of credit. They played at a high level today, they put us at a 10, 11-point deficit at some point. I’m so proud of my guys for the maturity they showed coming out in the second swinging like they did in those first four minutes, closing the gap. And then finishing with some pretty good execution on both ends. We’ve got some things we’ve got to clean up, particularly on the rebounding end of the floor, but that was a sound conference victory and we will certainly take it.”
Ishmael Legget’s driving layup in traffic with 23 seconds left proved to be the game-winning bucket. URI had gone more than four minutes without a field goal and was in the midst of a shaky possession when Leggett got the ball on the left wing.
Leggett had designs on an entry pass to Makhi Mitchell in the post, but when defender Josh Nickelberry jumped, Leggett drove around him and finished with his left hand as he tumbled to the ground.
“We had a mismatch on that side of the floor,” Cox said. “Makhi was calling for the ball. Ishmael El-Amin recognized it and got it to Ish Leggett. Ish was looking to throw it in, but the kid jumped. He used his basketball instincts, drove it and made a really tough finish at the rim. That was a huge bucket for us.”
La Salle got three shots on its final possession thanks to offensive rebounds but missed all of them. Makhi Mitchell challenged Clifton Moore’s shot in the lane. Nickelberry missed an open 3 off the rebound with eight seconds left. Jhamir Brickus had a decent look from 3 at the buzzer but misfired.
“Our guys didn’t bend, they didn’t fold,” Cox said. “That second half, they came out with purpose, with urgency, with intensity. And it still didn’t go all the way right throughout the half. La Salle still ended up regaining the lead with under a minute to play. Our guys just stayed together. Their talk with each other during timeouts was tremendous - just keeping up every uplifted, focused and locked in.”
URI was fresh off an 81-68 blowout of UMass and looked primed to heat up during a three-game homestand. La Salle didn’t get the memo, using a physical brand of defense to make life difficult on the Rams. The Explorers came in with a 1-3 league mark, but out-rebounded URI by 11. The Rams were their own worst enemy at the free-throw line, starting 1-of10 before a decent finish left them at 9-of-22.
“Frustrating day at the line,” Cox said. “Not sure where that came from. We’ve been really solid at the line for the year. Another sign of maturity to win a game like that - down by 10 and shooting free throws the way we shot them. Obviously, moving forward, we cannot win games shooting free throws like that.”
The free-throw shooting was part of a rough first half for the home team. URI was on the wrong end of an 11-2 margin points off turnovers and didn’t rebound well. La Salle made things difficult in the paint for the Rams, who were coming off a dominant performance inside against UMass on Saturday. URI led 7-2 before a nearly four-minute drought that allowed the Explorers to take a lead. They would hold it for the rest of the half, carrying a 3527 advantage into the break.
An 8-0 run early in the second half got the Rams back to even, with Makhel Mitchell providing the last five of those points. La Salle had an answer then, and another after a Jeremy Sheppard 3-pointer. URI got its first lead since the opening minutes on a bucket inside by Makhi Mitchell with 11:06 left.