Rhode Island
Rhode Island basketball’s season was not one to remember. Here’s how it ended
NEW YORK — One final stretch of missed opportunities delivered the University of Rhode Island to the close of its men’s basketball season.
Potential tying 3-pointers by David Green and Jaden House found the front rim. Earlier free throws didn’t hit the mark. A wing turnover from Zek Montgomery and two lost defensive assignments from Luis Kortright all proved costly.
It’s the combination of finer details that tends to derail teams over the course of a year. The Rams came to the end of theirs on Tuesday night in Brooklyn, suffering a 74-71 defeat against Saint Louis.
More: Here’s what Providence basketball must do if it hopes to make the NCAA Tournament
More: Here’s what you need to know about RI’s men’s basketball teams as the playoffs arrive
Gibson Jimerson left the door open by connecting on just the front end of a 1-and-1 chance with 10.2 seconds left. URI rushed into the frontcourt and managed to squeeze off a pair of shots from the right side. Neither one could force overtime in the nightcap at Barclays Center, and the Rams are heading home before nine other Atlantic 10 teams take the floor for the conference tournament here.
“We have way too many empty possessions under three minutes, under two minutes, under one minute — which really kind of gave the game away when we had control,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “I’ll take full responsibility for not being able to pull this one out.”
URI seemed determined to extend its stay deep into the second half. Green’s 3-pointer from the right corner gave the Rams a 67-63 lead as they were a scorching 15-for-22 from the floor after the break. That came with 4:35 left — URI stumbled to just 1-for-7 the rest of the way, and House hit the back rim on a pair from the line with 2:51 to play.
“We did a pretty good job of managing the game without turning it over until late,” Miller said. “Turnovers in the last four or five minutes — we squandered, I would say, a half-dozen possessions.”
Saint Louis tied the game when Cian Medley slipped by Kortright for a drive down the right — it was a 67-67 deadlock with 2:32 left. Terrence Hargrove Jr. connected on a pair of free throws to give the Billikens the lead for good with 1:20 to play and Saint Louis added to it inside the final 30 seconds. Medley beat Kortright again to the left and Jimerson cut off the weak side for a layup that put the Rams in deep trouble.
“That winning edge,” Miller said. “That winning DNA at the end of the game. Knowing what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it, taking care of the ball, getting a good look — that’s why I said it was on me.”
URI showed some real energy in the second half to eventually build a five-point advantage. House’s layup on the run and a David Fuchs drive on the break made it 49-45, and the Billikens called a timeout with 13:10 to play. The Rams had finally solved some offensive problems against a zone look by beating it down the floor, and House netted 11 of his team-high 18 points over the final 20 minutes.
“I think I just saw the lane open up a little bit,” House said. “I was trying to attack the lanes and make plays from there.”
It was a 10-2 run that ultimately gave URI its largest lead. Fuchs fought for an offensive rebound and put back a layup inside. He followed with a dunk off a nice pass from Kortright on the pick-and-roll, and the Rams opened a 64-59 cushion with 5:47 to play.
“We found motivation from just not wanting to end our season on this note,” Green said. “We tried to get up off the ground all season. We came out with some energy and were able to make plays and get back in the game.”
URI suffered through a field goal drought of 7:46 in the opening half. Saint Louis was doubling up the Rams at 24-12 before Brandon Weston finally broke the ice with a 3-pointer from the right wing. URI connected on three straight shots after missing eight in a row and chopped its deficit to single digits.
“We were slow into things,” Miller said. “There was very little ball movement. We struggled to get quality looks.”
It could have been less than 41-32 at the break. The Billikens turned a Fuchs blocked shot and a steal into a pair of Hargrove 3-pointers off the right wing. Saint Louis (13-19) was quicker to those two loose balls, and what was a 35-30 game spread out a bit into the locker room.
“We knew we would get their best effort,” Saint Louis coach Travis Ford said. “Just really proud of these guys.”
The Rams carried a 12-19 record into this field — anything short of winning the national championship meant consecutive 20-loss seasons. Jim Baron’s last year and Dan Hurley’s first were the last time it happened, a period covering 2011-13. Miller enters another spring and summer looking to cement a roster that can potentially return URI back to the league’s top half and beyond.
“It’s two completely different teams,” Miller said. “This one to me is disappointing because we had enough talent. We had enough pieces. We just could never get over the hump.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
SAINT LOUIS (74): Ezewiro 5-7 0-4 10, Hargrove 6-9 4-4 18, Hughes 1-5 0-0 2, Jimerson 8-22 7-8 26, Medley 3-8 0-0 7, Thames 3-6 0-3 6, van Bussel 2-2 1-1 5, Zhang 0-0 0-0 0; totals 28-59 12-20 74. RHODE ISLAND (71): Fuchs 3-3 0-2 6, Green 4-11 4-6 14, House 8-12 1-3 18, Kortright 3-6 4-5 10, Weston 2-6 0-0 6, Montgomery 1-8 5-6 7, Estevez 3-6 1-2 8, Brown 1-2 0-0 2; totals 25-54 15-24 71.
Halftime — Saint Louis 41-32. 3-point goals — Saint Louis 6-22 (Jimerson 3-10, Hargrove 2-4, Medley 1-4, Thames 0-1, Hughes 0-3), Rhode Island 6-19 (Weston 2-4, Green 2-5, House 1-3, Estevez 1-4, Montgomery 0-1, Kortright 0-2). Fouled out — Weston. Rebounds — Saint Louis 34 (Ezewiro 11), Rhode Island 31 (Green, Kortright 6). Assists — Saint Louis 20 (Medley 9), Rhode Island 12 (Kortright 5). Total fouls — Saint Louis 19, Rhode Island 17. Records — Saint Louis 13-19, Rhode Island 12-20.
Rhode Island
Bodycam footage shows moments police respond to Pawtucket shooting
Police bodycam footage shows the moments officers arrived to the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
The shooting on Feb. 16 at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena killed Rhonda Dorgan and Aidan Dorgan, the ex-wife and son of the shooter, who died by suicide.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
Gerald Dorgan, Rhonda’s father, died from his injuries this week. His wife, Linda Dorgan, and family friend Thomas Geruso remain hospitalized.
Around five minutes after the first officer arrives, he beings helping paramedics with a man who identifies himself as Aidan. Twelve minutes in, Aidan Dorgan is transported to the hospital, where he would later die from his injuries.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
For the last 10 minutes of the footage, the officer then begins helping paramedics transport the other three gunshot victims.
The video ends with police prepping witness interviews.
The shooting rocked the Pawtucket community. Chris Librizzi, head coach of the Blackstone Valley Schools hockey team impacted by the shooting, said the players and coaching staff “are devastated over the events that took place at Lynch Arena on Monday and intimately affected one of our teammates.”
As authorities continue investigating the shooting in Pawtucket, three patients remain in critical condition.
“We will lean on each other and support one another, as we have always done as a team,” he added.
Pawtucket police said two handguns were found at the scene after the shooting, a Sig Sauer P226 and Glock. Other weapons have been seized at the suspect’s storage unit in Maine.
Investigators continue reviewing all video evidence from before, during and after the shooting, including surveillance footage from the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, police body-worn camera footage and other records — a high school sports livestream captured the shooting from a distance — police said.
Rhode Island
Man killed in RI shooting; suspect involved in Mass. car crash that killed 2 others
A man has died after a shooting in Cranston, Rhode Island, and investigators say a suspect was later involved in a car crash in Swansea, Massachusetts, that killed two other people.
The shooting victim was found Thursday on Legion Way, shot multiple times in the chest, Cranston police told NBC affiliate WJAR-TV. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where he later died. His name has not been released.
The suspect initially fled on foot, setting off a shelter-in-place order while investigators searched the area.
Police said Friday that investigators identified a suspect vehicle, which was later spotted by Massachusetts State Police. A trooper followed the car down Route 6 and Interstate 195, but stopped when it crossed back into Rhode Island. The car was later involved in a crash on Route 136 in Swansea, Mass.
Swansea police say that crash on Route 136 (James Reynolds Road) resulted in the deaths of two other people.
According to the Swansea Police Department, two officers saw a white Infinity G37 speed past them around 12:18 a.m. Friday on Route 6, otherwise known as Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Moments later, officers observed that the vehicle had crashed into the side of a blue Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136.
Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, police said.
The vehicle that was struck was fully engulfed in flames. First responders and bystanders tried to extinguish the fire, but both occupants — a man and a woman — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Their names have not been released.
The 28-year-old Infinity driver, who struck the victims’ Subaru, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries and later into custody by Cranston Police. They have not been publicly identified at this time.
Swansea police said they are aware that the Infinity was the subject of a police pursuit, and know the driver was wanted in connection to the Rhode Island homicide investigation. While Swansea police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect’s vehicle, however, they say they were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the deadly crash.
The crash in Swansea is under investigation by Massachusetts authorities, including state police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Meanwhile, Cranston police said they would give an update on their investigation around 1 p.m.
Rhode Island
RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know
House Speaker Shekarchi unveils 2026 RI housing legislative package
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s nine-bill package for 2026 seeks to cut red tape and relax rules on parking, dividing lots and staircases.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is once again taking aim at the regulations he says are stifling new homebuilding.
The Warwick Democrat unveiled his sixth annual suite of housing legislation on Thursday, Feb. 26, a few weeks after announcing he would not be running for governor this year.
“We are still trying to play catch-up for all the years that Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts,” Shekarchi said. “While Rhode Island remains a relatively affordable option for people moving here from other states, our own residents are too often priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”
The legislative text of the nine-bill housing package, and with it the specifics of how it would work, were not available for Thursday’s news conference.
But highlights of the package, according to summaries, include:
- Infill housing. Allow property owners to divide lots in single-family zoning districts, creating multiple dwellings instead of one, provided they have water and sewer service.
- Parking maximums. Put new limits on how much off-street parking communities require for new apartment buildings.
- Homeless Bill of Rights. Expand the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights to require 15-day notice to the occupants of encampments before local authorities clear them.
- Emergency shelters. Let communities build temporary shelters, such as the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence, during a state of emergency.
- Stairs. Legalize the construction of four-story apartment buildings with a single staircase.
- Affordable housing taxes. Overhaul the tax system for income-restricted housing covered by the state’s “8 Law.”
Is land-use reform working?
Since Shekarchi was elected speaker in 2021, the General Assembly has passed dozens of bills he backed that tweaked state land-use statutes or streamlined the process for building.
How successful this approach has been is subject to debate.
Many local elected officials wary of development in their communities continue to rail against efforts to erode their power over construction.
Others in the growing Yes In My Back Yard movement see Rhode Island’s piecemeal approach as inadequate in comparison with the scale of the affordability problem and what other states are doing.
As evidence that his changes are making a difference, Shekarchi said Rhode Island saw a 70% increase in building permits in 2023 and a more modest increase in 2024. (Statistics for last year were not immediately available.)
Gov. Dan McKee’s 2030 plan calls for 15,000 new housing units built by that year.
Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes is slated to roll out her housing plan on Monday.
It is expected to include a millionaires tax to fund affordable housing, a revolving fund and target of 20,000 new homes.
What would the new laws do?
Letting property owners put multiple homes on a plot of land is one of the most direct ways that lawmakers can encourage the construction of more homes, but it is also one of the most controversial.
That’s especially true in areas zoned for large lots and single-family homes.
How far the new bill allowing lots to be subdivided in single-family zones goes is unclear. It is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket.
Legislation setting maximum parking requirements for new developments, introduced by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would apply to areas accessible by public transit.
Critics of off-street parking requirements say they make it harder to build new apartments and make the units that are built more expensive.
Shekarchi proposed the emergency shelter bill last year. It passed the House and died in the Senate.
It was the result of how long it took state officials to navigate Rhode Island’s building code and open the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence.
The staircase bill, sponsored by Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat and chair of the House’s home affordability study commission, follows a wave of cities and states relaxing rules on how many exits are required in new construction.
Currently, the state building code requires two stairways in buildings with more than three stories, and fire officials have opposed all efforts to change that.
Speakman’s bill would allow four-story buildings with a maximum of 16 units with a single staircase.
Supporters of single-stair buildings say they allow development of small sites that would otherwise sit vacant and allow family-sized units with more light and better ventilation.
A previous Rhode Island single-stair bill would have allowed six stories, but it died in committee.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order in mid-February to study the idea.
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