URI Trailed by 18, But Came Battling Back and Edged Yale

URI Trailed by 18, But Came Battling Back and Edged Yale

The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team was the underdog at home against the Ivy League’s Yale Bulldogs on Sunday. Yale was a 4 1/2 point favorite.

And, for the first half it looked like Yale was going to embarrass the Rams at the Ryan Center.

Yale led by 18 points at 39 to 21 with 5:25 left in the first half.

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URI shot a respectable 46% in the first half and shot, but Yale shot 58%.

The Rams trailed by 12 at the half, 44-32.

 

Sometimes Screaming Helps

Post-game, Luis Kortright revealed the team had a player’s only meeting after the Johnson & Wales game. Everyone needed to sort everything out. Kortright said, “As a group, we push each other. We scream at each other. We don’t take it personally.”

 

2nd Half Turn Around

URI Coach Archie Miller shook up his lineup for the second half. He started Brandon Weston and sat David Fuchs. Miller said it was about more than just going small. He said it was also about “The group that would play defense.” He emphasized this by saying, “We were missing the element of toughness and competitiveness. Everyone wants to play. Going forward, those who are playing the hardest, those who are playing the right way (will play).”

Four minutes into the half, he inserted Joseph Bilau, who is coming off a year-long knee injury. He played with great energy and passion. Miller said, “We don’t win without him (Bilau).”

 

Defense Leads to Offense

The message sunk in with the players. They dug in on defense, getting Yale out of its rhythm. Defensive stops allowed URI to get out in transition.  The Rams outrebounded Yale 40 to 26 for the game.

Asked after the game how he felt, Kortright said, “Happy” with a huge smile. He went on, “We saw the pre-game predictions that we only had a 25% chance of winning. We did not want to go down.”

 

Down the Stretch

Rams' defense and superior rebounding fed the offense, and with 7 minutes left, URI captured its first lead.

The final score was URI 76, Yale 72. URI is now 5-2 on the season. Yale falls to 4-3.

URI's leading scorers were Kortright with 15, Zek Montgomery with 14, and a team-leading 9 rebounds, and Tyson Brown added 10 points. Yale was led by Danny Wolf with 19 and Bez Mbeng with 18.

 

Next:
Rhode Island plays at in-state rival Providence on Saturday, Dec. 2. Game time is 7:30 p.m. on FS1.