Sunday, November 19, 2023

Jim Malachowski, Sports Columnist

The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team came out more comfortable and relaxed for this second game at the Hall of Fame Classic at Mohegan Sun. There was no indecision today. This group of players appears to be good students and learned quite a bit from yesterday’s poor start, as they took an early lead. However, they were overmatched in size and toughness and fell to Washington State 78 to 57.

URI got off to a good start and led at the 15:00 TV timeout 11-10 on 4 of 5 shooting, making yesterday’s poor start a distant memory. During this time out, Washington State Coach Kyle Smith must have told his players to get the ball down low to its big men. Smith also inserted 6’11” Oscar Cluff, so Washington was playing with two 6’11” bigs. The strategy worked as Washington began scoring down low and pulling away, building the lead to 10 at 3:39 left in the half. URI’s offense looked disjointed and turnover-prone during the stretch leading up to this. Washington’s length and height hurt the Rams on both ends of the court.  

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With the half and a double-digit deficit looming, URI went on an 8-0 run led by Louis Kortright’s three consecutive buckets. Suddenly, it was a two-point game, 34-32 Washington, with 1:37 left. URI had a chance to take the lead at the half. Unfortunately, they did not score again. The Rams missed three three-point shots in a row down the stretch, one by Kortright and two by Zek Montgomery. Not one of the threes was a particularly good shot to take.

With a dunk and a made three off the glass, Washington went into halftime with a 7-point lead, 39-32.

For your halftime entertainment, consider this.

The pandemic postponed games and shortened seasons, robbing college athletes of playing time. Four years of eligibility suddenly got shorter. In response, the NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility to anyone in college in 2020. Athletes celebrated this fifth year of eligibility. Little did they know at the time they were being given a “Golden Ticket”; no one did. Name, image, and likeness money came along two years later. Now, this fifth year can earn some athletes serious money.  

It is not unusual to see rosters with fifth-year grad students in basketball. It’s great for them and great for the teams that have them. These players are mature, experienced, and unfazed by the ups and downs of a game or season. It’s a distinct advantage for the teams with them and a drawback for their opponents who don’t have a fifth-year player.  

Both teams URI faced in the Mohegan Tournament had two starters who were 5th-year grad students. For Northwestern, it was their best player, Boo Buie and 6’4” guard Ryan Langborg. 

Washington State’s leading rebounder Isaac Jones and point guard Joseph Yesufu are playing in their fifth year, while URI does not have a fifth-year player. This year’s seniors are the last class with five years of eligibility.

Second half – Ugh

For the second half, Miller went with a small lineup again. With Washington’s size, this was very risky. Initially, they stuttered but began beating their opponents’ bigs down the floor. It was an interesting stretch of basketball. Rhode Island’s quicker, more athletic, smaller players against the bigger, stronger, taller Cougars. It was a standoff score-wise. At 12:19, URI was down by 5, which is two better than how the first half ended.

At the 12-minute TV timeout, Coach Smith had seen enough. He switched to a semi-small lineup with his hybrid athletic guard/forwards, 6’ 8” Kymany Housnsou and 6’ “Jaylen Wells. Washington began to pull away. The finishing touch was put on the Rams when Washington switched to a zone defense.

URI struggled against the zone. They could not find any rhythm or good shots. Washington slowly increased the lead, going up by 14. With 4:04 left, Isaac Jones slipped past David Fuchs for a dunk, and the game was virtually over. Down the stretch, URI fell behind badly. Washington’s biggest lead of 21 points came at the final buzzer losing 78-57

Game Stats, Numbers and Overwhelmed by Size

Montgomery had another excellent game, scoring 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. Kartright had 13, going 6-11 with 5 rebounds, 1 assist and one turnover. Jaden House had 9 points on 3 of 7 shooting. After committing 10 turnovers in the first half, Rhode Island only committed 2 in the second half, finishing with 12. They got outrebounded 36 to 28 and had 9 assists. URI only got 8 points off the bench despite 11 players getting into the game.

Jones led the way for Washington State with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 turnover. Washington had two players come off the bench and score double figures: Houinsou had 13 points, and Rueben Chinyelu finished with 12 points.  

During the post-game, Miller said, “Their size, physicality, and toughness around the basket exposed our interior youth.”

Regarding the problems against the zone defense, Miller said, “Their zone slowed us down, and we couldn’t get good possessions. In the zone, they were massive around the basket. Their back line really bothered us.”

Miller summarized the tournament by saying, “In both games, we were overwhelmed by their size. It was humbling, but sometimes that is the best thing for you. We learned a lot about our team and what we need to work on.”

NEXT:

URI takes on Johnson & Wales on Wednesday, November 29th at 2:00 PM at the Ryan Center.

James Malachowski is the former Chairman/Managing Partner at RDW Group. He previously served as the chair of the Public Utilities Commission. He is a graduate of URI and PC.

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