Rhode Island
Rhode Island basketball humbled by top Atlantic 10 contender. What happened vs. VCU
URI coach Archie Miller speaks after URI’s home loss to VCU on Tuesday
Atlantic 10 foe VCU beats URI, 81-57, to hand the Rams one of their most decisive losses of the season.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Tuesday night served as a harsh reminder for the University of Rhode Island men.
Your best is required each time an Atlantic 10 regular-season title contender comes to town, and the Rams fell far short of that standard against VCU. The visitors kept pace with the league’s top echelon while the hosts missed a chance to break free from the crowded middle of the standings.
URI committed a grisly 27 turnovers and saw whatever hopes it carried for a signature win melt away in the second half. VCU stormed to the finish thanks to a pair of deciding runs and posted an 81-57 victory, a sequence of events that had most of the 4,517 fans on hand heading back into the frigid night long before the final horn.
Not since at least the start of the 2010-11 season has URI given the ball away in a single game so frequently. VCU set a new Ryan Center record with 17 steals and racked up 30 points off takeaways. The visitors ripped off bursts of 13-3 and 15-0 in the second half that transformed a 42-40 edge into a blowout.
“We were mentally weak,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “Physically weak. And we got outplayed by a better team tonight in this building. Where we go from here is the next most important thing.
“Our team has to be way, way better.”
VCU managed just two points in the opening 6:22 of the second half, and URI seemed to have an unlikely opening after trailing through the majority. Max Shulga’s two free throws and Zeb Jackson’s following layup after a Flagrant 1 foul against David Green put URI in trouble, and VCU slammed the window shut by the 10:35 mark. Joe Bamisile’s pair of baskets in the paint gave his team a 55-43 advantage, and URI was never within two possessions again.
“For a long stretch of the game it kind of felt like, ‘Man, I don’t know how we’re involved in a one-possession game with how we were playing,’” Miller said. “But eventually they cracked us. They were superior in this game tonight.
“I will take full responsibility for our team sort of laying a dud. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a game that’s had 27 turnovers.”
Those mistakes eventually led to the knockout punch, as Jack Clark’s 3-pointer and a driving layup by Bamisile came off URI turnovers. Miller called timeout staring at a 69-48 deficit with 5:36 left, and the hosts suffered through an 8:33 stretch with just one field goal. Sebastian Thomas finally snapped the spell with a layup, but that finish at the rim only dragged URI within 19 points.
“We didn’t have the ability to be physical, get open, box out, pop to catch,” Miller said. “They forced us to the baseline. They ran through passes. Everything we did in terms of getting it in was, ‘Thank goodness. Now bring it up.’
“We just had one of those games where we were overwhelmed by the other team’s approach, effort, toughness. They do what they do, and they’ve done that in every game. No one has been dismantled like this tonight, and that’s on me. That’s on us.”
VCU (15-4, 5-1 Atlantic 10) carried a top-25 defense into this matchup per KenPom.com, and it traveled exceptionally well. URI (14-5, 3-4) managed 19 fewer shot attempts and saw all five of its starters finish with a plus-minus rating of at least minus-14. The hosts reached double-digit turnovers by the 7:48 mark of the first half and blew past the 21 they committed in a double-overtime loss at Brown.
“You start to press,” Miller said. “You start to get tight. You start to get a little bit anxious to get that turnover back at the other end. You take a tough shot. You throw it away a couple times, the crowd starts to moan – you feel that.
“You need to have a calming effect.”
Shulga’s reverse layup on the break gave VCU a 33-15 lead late in the first half before URI enjoyed its best stretch of the game. The hosts cut the deficit all the way to 35-34 on a layup by Jaden House, connecting on seven straight shots in less than three minutes after opening 5-for-17. Jackson’s two-hand slam down the middle built a 40-34 lead into the break, and URI was unable to muster another meaningful run over the final 20 minutes.
“We didn’t step up to the plate tonight,” Miller said. “Where you go from here is the next most important thing.”
VCU (81): Luke Bamgboye 3-3 0-2 6, Phillip Russell 1-6 2-2 5, Jack Clark 5-8 0-0 12, Max Shulga 4-12 6-7 15, Joe Bamisile 10-18 2-2 24, Christian Fermin 0-0 0-0 0, Zeb Jackson 4-10 2-4 11, Michael Belle 0-4 0-0 0, Brandon Jennings 1-3 1-2 3, Alphonzo Billups III 1-3 0-0 3, Terrence Hill Jr. 0-0 0-0 0, Obinnaya Okafor 0-1 2-2 2; Totals 29-68 15-21 81.
RHODE ISLAND (57): David Green 3-10 1-2 8, Javonte Brown 0-0 0-2 0, Sebastian Thomas 7-12 3-6 19, Jaden House 6-13 1-1 15, Jamarques Lawrence 2-6 2-3 8, Cam Estevez 0-2 1-3 1, Drissa Traore 0-1 1-2 1, David Fuchs 0-0 2-2 2, Quentin Diboundje 1-5 0-0 3; Totals 19-49 11-21 57.
Halftime – VCU, 40-34. 3-pointers – VCU 8-27 (Russell 1-5, Clark 2-5, Shulga 1-3, Bamisile 2-6, Jackson 1-3, Belle 0-2, Billups 1-3), RI 8-23 (Green 1-5, Thomas 2-4, House 2-5, Lawrence 2-4, Estevez 0-2, Traore 0-1, Diboundje 1-2). Rebounds – VCU 42 (Bamgboye 9), RI 34 (Fuchs 9). Assists – VCU 10 (Shulga 3), RI 6 (House 2).
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
(WJAR) — Tucked away in the woods of Exeter, a small museum is preserving stories that long predate Rhode Island’s founding, and even the arrival of European settlers in New England.
The Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island’s only Indigenous-led museum and one of the oldest tribal museums in the United States.
For more than six decades, it has worked to preserve and share the history, culture and resilience of Native peoples across Southern New England.
A historic image from the Tomaquag Museum. (Tomaquag Museum)
“Tomaquag Museum is very unique in that it was founded by women,” said Executive Director Loren Spears.
The museum traces its roots back to 1958, when anthropologist Eva Butler and Narragansett Wampanoag elder Princess Red Wing set out to preserve Indigenous history through an Indigenous lens.
The collection originally began in Tomaquag Valley in Hopkinton, which inspired the museum’s name.
A member of the Narragansett Native American Tribe, Spears said the museum’s mission is to ensure Native voices remain part of the historical narrative.
A painting at the Tomaquag Museum that depicts a harsh scene. (WJAR)
“There is no U.S. history without First Peoples’ history,” she said.
The Narragansett Tribe, based primarily in Charlestown, has a history in the region stretching back more than 30,000 years.
Before English colonization, the Narragansetts were among the most influential Indigenous nations in Southern New England.
A display on historic documents at the Tomaquag Museum. (WJAR)
“We’ve had this interrelationship and this history the whole time and have contributed to the creation and formation of this nation in different kinds of ways,” Spears said.
Today, the museum houses thousands of cultural belongings and hundreds of thousands of archival materials documenting Indigenous communities throughout the region.
Among the artifacts on display is an American flag that flew in Afghanistan in honor of the Narragansett Tribe.
“People are often like, ‘Why is there a flag here?’” Spears said. “It’s here because this exact flag flew in Afghanistan in honor of the Narragansett Tribe.”
A U.S. dollar bill signed by Lynn Malerba, the first female chief of the Mohegan Tribe in modern times and the 45th Treasurer of the United States. (WJAR)
The museum also showcases a U.S. dollar bill signed by Lynn Malerba, the first female chief of the Mohegan Tribe in modern times and the 45th Treasurer of the United States.
“You can’t get any more American than a dollar bill,” Spears said. “To be able to see that an Indigenous woman is the one that signed that as the treasurer, we think is pretty remarkable.”
Visitors can explore the museum’s exhibit, “Revolution to Reclamation: Freedom Through Indigenous Sovereignty,” which includes hands-on activities designed for families and children.
Guests can create corn husk dolls, play traditional games, and learn about Native cultures through interactive displays.
Tomaquag Museum Executive Director Loren Spears and NBC 10’s Abbey Buttacavoli at the museum. (WJAR)
In 2016, the museum received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries.
The museum is also preparing for a major new chapter. Within the next few years, Tomaquag plans to relocate to a new facility on the campus of the University of Rhode Island, with hopes of breaking ground by the end of 2026.
“There’s an importance to having Indigenous voice in the room and being part of the story,” Spears said.
Ethan McDermott, 22, was arrested shortly after midnight Friday as a “result of an investigation into a motor vehicle crash on Route 146,” the Rhode Island State Police said in a media release.
McDermott was also charged with reckless driving and other offenses against public safety and refusal to submit to a chemical test, according to the release.
Prepared potato salad is up 3%, while cornbread is up 4%. Eggs, however, are a bright spot, with prices down 14%, which could make deviled eggs or other egg-based sides a more affordable addition.
Vegetable trays may require a little strategy. Broccoli, celery and cauliflower are up 6%, while snacking tomatoes are up 2% and baby carrots are up just 1%.
Fruit could help offset some of the increases. Strawberries are about the same price as last year, and watermelon is down 3%.
Some Sweet News About Desserts
Dessert prices are rising more moderately than other cookout staples.
Store-bought cookies are up 1 percent, ice cream is up 2%, and store-bought apple pie is up 4%, according to the analysis. That means a mix-and-match dessert table can still be a relatively affordable way to end the meal.
-
Vermont5 minutes agoPossible tornado causes damage in small Vermont town during Thursday’s intense storms – The Boston Globe
-
Virginia8 minutes agoFirst responders train in Blacksburg
-
Washington13 minutes agoWashington State University Vancouver faculty, staff anxiously await details of 15% budget cuts
-
Wisconsin20 minutes agoPresident of Wisconsin’s largest mosque released from ICE custody
-
West Virginia23 minutes agoCommunity Catalyst Grant applications are open through West Virginia First Foundation through June 30 – WV MetroNews
-
Wyoming28 minutes ago250 Portraits self-portrait exhibition now on display throughout downtown Jackson
-
Crypto35 minutes agoCrypto’s Courtside Takeover: Digital Assets in Pro Tennis
-
Finance38 minutes agoConsumer confidence plunges among younger adults
