Rhode Island

Three thoughts on Rhode Island basketball’s labored win over Canisius

Published

3 months ago

December 17, 2025

Three thoughts on Rhode Island basketball’s labored win over Canisius

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Two different teams, two opposite halves, two ways of breaking down a respected opponent – call Tuesday night at the Ryan Center whatever you like.

It was ultimately a return to the win column for the University of Rhode Island men against Canisius, as the Rams buried the first 18 minutes of action in favor of the final 22.

Tyler Cochran sparked them to life early in the second half, and Jonah Hinton eventually gave URI the lead for keeps with 15:44 left. The Golden Griffins called a timeout to prevent an oncoming avalanche, one they ultimately couldn’t stop in a 62-45 slugfest.

The Rams were poor offensively in a loss to McNeese State and followed with another early struggle here. They entered halftime on a 5-0 run to face just a 27-22 deficit and started doing the little things out of the break that tend to mean victory.

“We weren’t playing freely,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “We weren’t playing confidently. Second half, much more in character in terms of how our group plays.”

URI entered off defeats against rival Providence and the Cowboys, who stole a 66-64 triumph here on a last-second jumper by Tyshawn Archie. The Rams had a week-long exam break to stew on the 15 turnovers they committed in the second half against McNeese State and carried that rancid form into the early going against Canisius. URI was just 6-for-29 from the field and gave the ball away 11 times before emerging from the locker room with a fresh approach.

“The first half was kind of going through the motions,” Cochran said. “We preached in the second half that we needed to come out as a better team, and I think we did a good job as a team.”

How did the Rams author what was ultimately a 27-point swing in this one? Here are three thoughts from the matchup, which was played in front of a season-low 2,895 fans in Kingston.

Tyler Cochran provided the spark

Cochran was exactly the spark URI needed to snap out of its funk.

His opening three minutes of the second half included an offensive rebound and putback layup, a dive to the floor for a loose ball and steal, a diagonal pass to Hinton for a 3-pointer and a jumper of his own from beyond the arc in the right corner.

That left the Rams in a 30-30 tie with 16:49 to play, the last of four in the game. Hinton followed with another deep jumper from NBA range, and Myles Corey connected on his own with 15:06 left. URI was up by two possessions and rarely pushed the rest of the way.

“In the first half it didn’t seem like we were having much fun,” Cochran said. “It seemed like we were just trying to get the game over with.”

Cochran finished with nine of his 12 points, three of his four rebounds, all four of his assists and all four of his steals after the break. He was plus-23 in 18 second-half minutes, which was a team best. It’s exactly what the Rams expected while recruiting Cochran to his fifth college stop.

“We talked about it at halftime – who’s going to ignite us?” Miller said. “And it wasn’t going to be scoring baskets.”

New-look starting five

URI (8-4) went almost exclusively with its new starting five in the second half.

Damone King played four minutes off the bench and Drissa Traore logged two. It was Cochran, Hinton, Corey, Keeyan Itejere and new addition Jahmere Tripp otherwise, with Hinton and Corey going the full 20 minutes.

RJ Johnson (illness) was dressed, but the Rams wanted to stay away from him after limited practice work leading into the game. Alex Crawford was benched for the final 22:33 after a turnover on an inbounds play led to the Golden Griffins (5-7) building their largest lead at 27-17.

“We were out there playing hard,” Corey said. “We were down a body. RJ was sick, so I had to step up.”

Tripp finished with nine points, five rebounds and a plus-24 rating in 29 minutes – that was a team best. He opened in favor of Crawford after entering the night with superior numbers in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, shooting, 3-point shooting and foul shooting.

“Jahmere has been very productive,” Miller said. “Trying to get him more minutes. Starting the game with him in the game is something we want to move towards.”

Rams made it harder than it had to be

URI made hard work of this one early.

The Rams committed 11 of their 13 turnovers in the first half and were just 6-for-29 from the field. They connected on only one of their first 14 attempts from 3-point range and sank into a double-digit hole just before halftime.

Anthony Benard followed a layup inside with a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass. He was fouled by Crawford and connected on a pair of free throws to extend the momentum Canisius built to that point.

“The first was really unwatchable at times,” Miller said. “We played a tight first half offensively getting adjusted to what they were doing.”

URI needed barely four minutes to match their 3-point total in the second half, hitting three of their first five from deep. The Rams also didn’t commit their first turnover until Cochran fumbled the ball out of bounds on a drive to the rim with 7:33 left. URI owned a 50-38 lead by that point and already had enough of a margin to ensure the final result.

“We just had to take the lid off the rim, really,” Corey said. “Our defense carried us and got us through the half.”

CANISIUS (45): Javante Edwards 1-2 0-0 3, Myles Wilmoth 0-4 0-0 0, Kahlil Singleton 1-4 4-4 6, Bryan Ndjonga 4-18 2-4 11, Mike Evbagharu 2-5 0-0 5, Chris Kumu 0-1 2-4 2, Anthony Benard 3-3 2-2 10, Brendan Oliver 0-0 0-0 0, King Ijeoma 4-10 0-0 8. Totals 15-47 10-14 45.

RHODE ISLAND (62): Jahmere Tripp 3-12 3-3 9, Jonah Hinton 6-18 4-4 20, Myles Corey 4-7 2-2 12, Tyler Cochran 5-11 0-0 12, Keeyan Itejere 2-5 2-4 6, Alex Crawford 0-5 0-0 0, Damone King 1-3 0-0 3, Drissa Traore 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-61 11-13 62.

Halftime – C, 27-22. 3-point FG – C 5-15 (Edwards 1-1, Wilmoth 0-1, Singleton 0-3, Ndjonga 1-6, Evbagharu 1-2, Benard 2-2), RI 9-34 (Tripp 0-5, Hinton 4-13, Corey 2-5, Cochran 2-5, Crawford 0-3, King 1-3). Rebounds – C 34 (Ndjonga 8), RI 43 (Itejere 11). Assists – C 10 (Benard 4), RI 10 (Cochran 4). Turnovers – C 19 (Benard 6), RI 13 (Tripp 3, Crawford 3). Blocked shots – C 2 (Ijeoma 2), RI 5 (Corey 2). Steals – C 8 (Evbagharu 4), RI 10 (Cochran 4). Attendance – 2,895.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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Rhode Island

Romeiros to hold annual religious pilgrimages in MA and R.I. What to know

Published

5 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Romeiros to hold annual religious pilgrimages in MA and R.I. What to know

Hundreds of Romeiros are expected to make their annual pilgrimage of faith in the upcoming weeks, walking across cities and towns in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island and filling the streets with their Portuguese prayers and religious songs.

Wrapped in cloaks and wearing colorful scarves on their heads or shoulders, with a rosary and walking staff in hand, they will walk and pray in most cases from dawn till dusk.

The Romeiros continue to keep alive an Azorean tradition that originated in the 16^th century on the island of São Miguel, where islanders would march for a week during Lent to appeal to God to stop volcanic activity.

The tradition was brought by Azorean immigrants to Fall River in the 1980s, but here the pilgrimage was shortened to one day. It subsequently expanded to New Bedford, Taunton, Bristol and Pawtucket.

A weeklong New England Romaria, covering more than a dozen cities and towns in Southeastern Massachusetts, was introduced in 2012.

When are the one-day Romarias taking place?

Taunton, Mass., Saturday, March 21

Romeiros will depart from Saint Anthony’s Parish Hall to the church at 6:30 a.m. After attending Mass, they will embark on a 15-mile journey of faith, making stops at Holy Family Church (East Taunton), Saint Andrew Church, Saint Jude the Apostle Church and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, before returning to St. Anthony’s Church.

New Bedford, Mass., Saturday, March 28

The Romeiros will gather at the Immaculate Conception Church on Earle Street at 7 a.m. and attend Mass before taking to the streets. They will crisscross the city to pray at several churches. They will visit St. Mary’s Church, Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Saint Lawrence Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church, Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Our Lady’s Chapel Church, Saint Anthony’s of Padua Church, before concluding the pilgrimage by returning to Immaculate Conception Church for a celebration of Holy Mass at 7 p.m.

Bristol, R.I., Sunday, March 29

The Romeiros will gather at 6 a.m. at Saint Elizabeth’s Church to make their half-day pilgrimage. Along the way, they are expected to stop at Saint Mary’s Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, and the Columban Fathers. They will return to Saint Elizabeth’s Church and attend 12 p.m. Mass.

Pawtucket, R.I., Sunday, March 29

The Romeiros will gather at Saint Anthony’s Church and depart at 6 a.m. They will stop at Saint John’s Church, Saint Mary’s Church and Saint Mary’s Cemetery before returning to Saint Anthony’s Church to attend Mass at noon.

Fall River, Mass., Friday, April 3

The Romaria season will culminate on Good Friday, when Romeiros from all over the region are expected to march in Fall River from church to church.

The group will gather at Espírito Santo Church around 6 a.m. for a blessing before traversing the city. They will stop at St. Anthony of Padua, Holy Name, St. Michael’s, St. Joseph’s, Santo Christo, St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Anne’s, Good Shepherd and Holy Trinity before returning to Espírito Santo to attend Holy Mass and a special Good Friday service starting at 7 p.m.

Weeklong Romaria

A smaller group of Romeiros will embark Saturday, March 21 on a weeklong journey of faith throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, covering about 130 miles on foot to visit around 50 churches in more than a dozen cities and towns.

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Rhode Island

TF Green Airport to undergo rehabilitation work on primary runway

Published

17 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

TF Green Airport to undergo rehabilitation work on primary runway

WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — The Rhode Island Airport Corp. said Thursday that it will begin rehabilitation work on its 8,700-foot runway at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in April.

According to officials, the months-long project on Runway 5-23 will include milling and resurfacing the pavement, as well as upgrades to runway lighting, electrical systems, signage, and pavement markings.

Airport officials said aircraft will mainly use Runway 16-34, which is 6,100 feet, during construction.

“While fully capable of supporting safe operations, the shorter runway may require airlines to adjust aircraft operations under certain conditions,” RIAC said in a release.

The work is expected to last through October.

RIAC said passenger volumes at T.F. Green may temporarily decline by up to double digits during certain months of the construction.

“PVD continues to experience strong underlying demand for air travel and RIAC remains focused on completing the runway rehabilitation project efficiently,” Dawn Mineker, executive vice president of infrastructure and operations, said. “We continue to invest in our infrastructure to keep pace with increased growth and passenger demand both on the airfield and within the terminal.”

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Airport officials said the project is funded with federal airport improvement grants and will cost around $30 million.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island hockey team wins state title after deadly rink shooting

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island hockey team wins state title after deadly rink shooting

A Rhode Island high school hockey team won the state championship just weeks after a deadly shooting at a local rink.

The February shooting at a hockey arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, left three people dead, plus the gunman.

The three people killed were all related to Colin Dorgan, a high school senior who is a member of the Blackstone Valley team that beat Lincoln 3-2 in quadruple overtime in the Division 2 state championship game on Wednesday, March 18.

“I truly felt it in my heart and my soul that they’re still with me,” Dorgan told the media after the game. “I love them so much, and they’re still here and I know it.”

Dorgan tied the game late, before his team prevailed in the fourth overtime.

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