Rams Pull Out Close One, Off to 2-0 Start
KINGSTON, R.I. – While many were watching a football game played about an hour north, a few diehards came to the Ryan Center and saw their home team improve its nice start in Atlantic 10 play.
“They could have been elsewhere this afternoon if they wanted to, especially on a beautiful day,” Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron said after he thanked the fans who came out for the Rams’ 75-74 win over Dayton to improve to 2-0 in early Atlantic 10 play.
The young Rams pulled out a game that had eight ties and 16 lead changes. They also took good care of the ball, a major problem earlier in the season, as they had 17 assists with 11 turnovers. Even more impressive, their two primary point guards, Parfait Bitee and Keith Cothran, combined for 10 assists with just one turnover. They also won this game despite being out-rebounded for just the fifth time this season.
It was hardly a textbook win, as the Rams also allowed the Flyers to shoot nearly 56 percent from the field for the game. Defense is clearly one area for improvement, as opponents shoot over 46 percent against them. But watching this team, it’s clear that there are some strides being made overall, and they have something to show for it with two early conference wins. That’s sure to help them out.
“It’s the beginning of the conference schedule. You want to get wins in the beginning to build your confidence, so I think this is a big win for us,” said junior forward Will Daniels, who scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half.
The Rams have just one senior, center Darrell Harris. They start two juniors and bring one off the bench in Joe Mbang, who contributed 14 points in Sunday’s win. Two sophomores start, and three freshmen come off the bench, and the Rams certainly need them to produce. Cothran, who sat out the first ten games before the NCAA cleared him to compete on December 7, has acquitted himself well all in all. He couldn’t practice until he was cleared, and when he first got on the court he tried to do too much at times, but he’s clearly made strides. He had five assists with just one turnover on Sunday to give him a 3:1 assist/turnover ratio, and averages over two steals per game.
They could be deeper, as they expected to also have point guard Jon Lucky and freshman small forward Delroy James. Lucky is done for the season due to an ankle injury that required surgery. James’ future is uncertain save for knowing that he won’t play this season. The NCA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse still hasn’t cleared him to play, and even if they did just that tomorrow, they won’t play him this season because it makes no practical sense to do so. The question now is his status and how it affects his aid, as well as his immediate future.
But right now the Rams are going forward with a team that shows some potential. Jimmy Baron, who made the game-winning shot in the final seconds, has adjusted well since moving into the starting lineup last month. In the last eight games, all of which he has started, he has scored in single digits just one and made at least three three-pointers in all but Sunday’s game (he made two en route to 14 points). He is shooting nearly 54 percent from long range in those games. Certainly, there aren’t many who would have imagined him scoring a game-winning basket on a drive and layup in traffic, as he did on Sunday.
“That’s one of the moves he’s been working in the driveway with,” his father said, which drew a few chuckles in the press conference. “I think that’s the next part of his game, being able to take it off the dribble.”
Two early wins in conference play can boost a team forward, especially in a year like this in a wide-open conference. No team distinguished itself in non-conference play as a clear favorite, as many teams had a good showing but none truly stood out. The Rams don’t project as a contender, but finishing well above where they were projected (down in the second division of the Atlantic 10) isn’t out of the question. They need to win on the road, and they’ll get a chance to do that soon as they travel to Saint Louis and Saint Joseph’s for their next two games. They’ve picked up a boost from winning their first two games; now we’ll see how much of a carryover effect they may have.
