Rams Bounce Back Against Dukes
SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. – The theme of the day was bouncing back, and it was ever-present for Rhode Island in their 80-78 win over Duquesne.
The first case of it was an obvious one: the Rams lost at Dayton the last time out, ending their nine-game winning streak. It wasn’t a loss they took well.
“Immediately after that loss, we were hurting. It almost felt like we had lost ten straight, it almost like that loss after GW last year in the finals,” said senior Will Daniels, who led the Rams with 28 points and 11 rebounds. “We really took it personal, and we really reflected on not only our team as a whole, but us individually and what we could have done individually to win that game and to have a better outcome.”
The second case was the early going of Sunday’s game. Duquesne started 5-7 from the field and had the edge early on and for much of the first half, basically out-working the Rams and looking like the better running team in a matchup of teams that like to push the pace and score. The Dukes looked to run every time, and while they weren’t always able to do it, they got their share of run-outs.
They also had to bounce back from some sloppiness in the opening session, although both teams were that way for a while. The scoring pace slowed down and the Rams only slowly cut into the Dukes’ lead, ultimately regaining the lead late in the half.
And they still weren’t out of the woods even near the end of the game, even when it looked like they might be. Leading by one in the final minute, they forced a turnover as the shot clock was running down. Sophomore Keith Cothran had the ball in the frontcourt with the final seconds running down, but he didn’t dribble away from defenders to run more time off the clock. Instead, he kept going with a defender near the basket and threw up a wild shot that missed and gave the Dukes new life when they got the rebound.
But when Jimmy Baron’s jumper went in with three seconds left and the Rams ultimately held on, it was a win for them to be happy about.
“This was definitely a very good win for us, because we played against a tough, hard-nosed, very athletic Duquesne team,” said head coach Jim Baron. “The kids showed a lot of resiliency.”
Resiliency and bouncing back were key themes in the post-game press conference. Every team goes through adversity during a season, although there are various forms. Sometimes it’s a bad loss. Sometimes it’s a losing streak. Sometimes injuries mount, or an off-court matter occurs. Any adversity can hurt a team more than one might immediately think, and how a team responds to it means as much as anything.
The big idea for the Rams was to win this game certainly for the simple desire to win, but bouncing back was also a very real desire. They wanted to respond after a loss in the right way, and the game presented its own challenges that the Rams had to overcome.
“I think the biggest thing is that coming off a loss, and struggling throughout this entire game, we stuck together,” said Jimmy Baron. “We were resilient, we were always positive with each other after mistakes.”
Daniels looked every bit the part of a Player of the Year candidate. He looked determined to not let the Rams lose this game, from grabbing rebounds at times out of nowhere to driving fearlessly to the basket, even against Duquesne’s big shot-blocker in Shawn James. Daniels had all the confidence in the world, as he normally does, but it was clear he was a man on a mission on Sunday.
His determination shined in the first half when the Rams were down by eight, their biggest deficit of the game. After a dunk, he grabbed the rebound on the next possession and made a layup, then two trips later hit a three-pointer to get them within one. Later, another jumper brought them back within two, and they eventually regained the lead before the half was over.
The second half was more of the same. He gave them the lead right away, then later scored six straight Ram points as they opened a six-point lead at one point. After the Dukes regained the lead and went up by seven, he started a rally with two free throws, then tied the game with another.
“Coming off of a loss at Dayton, I think it was important to get this win, to overcome adversity and push hard to get this victory,” said Daniels, who was 10-14 from the field.
The win did a lot of things for the Rams. It evened their record in Atlantic 10 play at 1-1. It likely kept them in the rankings, although they don’t matter. It was a good home win over a quality opponent, and a team similar to them. It gave them another confidence boost, which they could use after Wednesday’s loss at Dayton.
But most of all, the win was their way of bouncing back.
