SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. – UMass needed to get back on track. After a 64-54 win over Rhode Island at the Mullins Center nearly three weeks ago, the Minutemen dropped four in a row, starting with two on the road and ending with two at home. That meant it was time for some soul-searching, which took place via team meetings. It also didn’t hurt that the next game was another matchup with the Rams, and in a game that was a classic tale of two halves, they came away with a 66-60 win thanks to a strong second half.
With the four-game losing streak, there was a sense that the team wasn’t playing as freely or confidently as they could be. So the team held multiple meetings, with the coaches leading one and the players leading a meeting of their own. The players all spoke at the latter, and the message was simple.
“I felt like the past couple of games, we were just going through the motions, people were slouching and their heads were down,” said senior guard Gary Correia. “I just told them, for these last five games, just to have fun and let’s play.”
Derek Kellogg said his message to a few players during the week was equally simple, and it seemed to have the desired effect.
“I had a few meetings with some different guys to let them know, I’ll let you play through some mistakes, just give me some effort,” said the UMass mentor. “Walk out there with a smile on your face, let’s enjoy, let’s at least have fun playing. It took a little burden off our guys’ shoulders, because I realized that they knew we were in a losing streak.”
The effect wasn’t quite apparent in the first half, when Rhode Island had a clear edge inside and out-rebounded the Minutemen thanks in large part to 13 offensive rebounds. Late in the half, the Rams had all the momentum and an eight-point lead. In the second half, things were reversed, and while the Minutemen were out-rebounded for the game, they cut down greatly on the second-chance opportunities Rhode Island had and forced nine turnovers.
Correia was one of a couple of players whose second-half play led the way. He had nine of his 11 points and five assists with no turnovers in the latter frame, and like the first time the two teams met he had one of his better games running the team. Raphiael Putney continues to show his progress, and he had 11 points and five boards, with nine of those points coming in the second half.
There was also the team’s best player who came through. Anthony Gurley averaged just 11.3 points per game during the team’s losing streak, and he struggled offensively on Saturday despite scoring 16 as he was 4-14 from the field. But he had 10 rebounds for a double-double and added five steals, doing something Kellogg had been on him about.
“I’ve been on him to say, if you’re not scoring the ball, what can you do to help the team win?” said Kellogg.
In the final minutes, Rhode Island tried to rally once they got down 58-49. UMass committed several turnovers, including a few in their own end, giving the Rams more chances. But missed free throws hurt the Rams, and at the end UMass made enough plays to hang on. The Rams were 12-23 from the free throw line in the second half, with a lot of the misses coming late.
The Minutemen certainly would rather have finished the game a little better. But at this point, they’re happy enough to get another win. They can worry about improving late in the game and getting the intangibles they showed to carry over in the next game when they’re back on the practice floor.
