Fordham takes out URI in slugfest
Mistake-prone Rhode Island falls, 71-68
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — It comes back to the little things.
Ball security. A key defensive rebound that went unclaimed. Free throws. Knowing exactly what to do with possession late in a game.
The University of Rhode Island wasn’t sharp enough in those foundational areas on Wednesday night. Its punishment was a home loss against Fordham in a matchup it seemed destined to steal over the final 20 minutes.
The visiting version of the Rams were the beneficiaries in this Atlantic 10 slugfest. Fordham escaped with a 71-68 victory when Jaden House went wide with a 65-footer at the horn, a desperation shot that wouldn’t have been required without certain prior events.
“We still had our chances,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “We still had our opportunities. But just not good enough on either side of the ball.”
Fordham prevailed despite plenty of its own mistakes. The visitors went just 9-for-25 at the line. They endured a 7:26 scoreless drought in the second half and watched an eight-point lead melt away. Josh Rivera’s driving layup with 39.9 seconds left and two free throws apiece by Antrell Charlton and Kyle Rose wound up being enough to make the difference.
“It’s obviously very tough,” URI forward David Fuchs said. “We had a couple of situations where we could have taken the lead or even solidified our lead.”
URI squandered an unexpected chance to pull ahead with 5.4 seconds left. Elijah Gray missed two free throws in a 70-68 game and David Green grabbed a defensive rebound. Green picked up his dribble and both
potential outlet pass targets were covered so he was left to whip the ball out of bounds and into the visiting bench with 1.8 seconds to play.
“Fordham jammed the outlet,” Miller said. “Unfortunate turnover. At the end of the day, I probably could have told whoever gets it to go. He would have had more of a chance.”
Fordham led after Luis Kortright went just 2-for-4 from the stripe inside the final 28.5 seconds. His first trip came with a chance to tie in a 66-64 game — his first shot hit the front rim and bounced back into the lane. Kortright found the line a second time in a 68-65 game and missed the second attempt, allowing Kyle Rose the chance to make it a two-possession game at 70-66 with 12.5 seconds left.
“Move on and go to the next one,” URI center Jeremy Foumena said. “We’ve got to keep moving forward.”
Fuchs pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds in the game, but there’s one more he would have liked to secure. Jahmere Tripp missed the front end of a 1-and-1 chance with 19 seconds left, but the ball caromed off Fuchs and out of bounds. Charlton caught the ensuing inbounds pass out by midcourt thanks to a crunching screen from Gray, a potential offensive foul that went uncalled and incensed Miller on the home bench.
“There’s not enough winning DNA right now,” Miller said. “There’s just not. We have to get better. We have to keep working.”
Foumena’s 3-pointer out high knotted the game at 64-64 with 1:12 left, the last of his 13 points off the bench. Rivera slashed across the lane off the right side and went off the glass with his left hand to give Fordham the lead for good. The visitors trailed by three with 7:07 left before mounting a 7-0 run that helped make the difference.
“We couldn’t make free throws down the stretch,” Fuchs said. “A couple of boards went missing — that can’t happen.”
House’s two-hand jam down the lane capped an 11-0 burst and URI (9-10, 3-3 A-10) looked on its way with a 54-51 edge. Fuchs missed the front end of a 1and-1, Foumena missed another pair of free throws and House committed a painful turnover while trying to force an entry pass to the right post. Fordham (9-10, 3-3) capitalized thanks to a wing 3-pointer by Rose and a transition dunk by Rivera, turning a one-possession deficit into a 58-54 advantage.
“We let that game hang around enough, enough, enough,” Miller said. “And eventually they made one. And when they made one, boom — you could feel a little bit of the air and the steam go out of it.”
Fordham built its largest lead at 51-43 thanks to some help from URI. The hosts committed 10 of their 14 turnovers in the second half and were outscored off those by a 12-2 count. They carried a 34-27 lead late in the first half that quickly vanished as Fordham rattled off a 24-9 streak that crossed halftime into the final 13:27.
“We didn’t start the game well in the second half,” Fuchs said. “We didn’t come out ready. That can’t be the case playing against a team like Fordham.” bkoch@providencejournal.com
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