URI vs. Davidson Game Recap - Quite the Senior Night
I just wanted to summarize URI's senior night vs. Davidson simple because everyone in the Ryan Center, including me, went bananas after the heroic that the Rams pulled.
The Good:
The Ryan Center crowd: With an attendance of 7,263, the crowd filled out 95% of the venue. Not only was the crowd large but they were the most active they have been all 2016-2017 season and it made for a raucous environment that lifted the entire Rhode Island men’s basketball team.
Player of the game: Stanford Robinson was outstanding and saved URI’s season above anyone else. With the game tied at 62-62, it was Robinson’s block at the hoop that sent the game to overtime. Rhode Island’s sixth man had a monumental 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 game-changing blocks.
The seniors: With the majority of the team coming out flat in the first half and at the beginning of the second half, Kuran Iverson and Hassan Martin kept URI in the game with their veteran performances. By the end of the game, Martin totaled 21 points and 17 rebounds, while Iverson totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds. Together, they combined for 38 points on 18-31 shooting and 28 rebounds between the two of them. Remember when I wrote that URI needs to ride their seniors in Pittsburgh, well yeah.
#0 finally steps up: After an atrocious regulation shooting period from the field, which included an 0-6 shooting performance form beyond the arc, E.C. Matthews finally came to the rescue for Rhody, including a SC top 10 dunk.
The Bad:
URI’s first half and beginning-middle of the second half: I don’t care if it was URI’s senior night or the first round of the NIT, the way that URI played in front of their home crowd for the entire first half and the majority of the second half was inexcusable. If anyone could be excused for trying to do “too much” or being off the game, it was the seniors on their senior night. Conversely, the seniors had to carry their team through all of the challenges that faced the Rams in the first half.
E.C. Matthews’ regulation period: The only reason I am not putting this in “The Ugly” section is because of what Matthews accrued in the overtime period. During the first forty minutes of game time, Matthews shooting was putrid and it was evident, based on the crowd’s reactions and yelling for him to “STOP SHOOTING!”. Against Dayton, URI will lose if Matthews repeats the same performance in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Ugly:
Where was #25: Christion Thompson did not play a single second in this Atlantic 10 battle and as one of URI’s best defenders overall, he would have helped to shut down Jack Gibbs.
The Gibbs and Aldridge Show: Jack Gibbs exploded for 29 points and his counterpart, Peyton Aldridge had 19 of his own. If you can shut down Gibbs and Aldridge at Belk Arena, I would hope you could do the same when you are playing at the Ryan Center. At the Atlantic 10 tournament, URI will likely matchup with Saint Bonaventure and then Dayton. Against St. Bona, Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley can do damage. Against Dayton, Scoochie Smith, Charles Cooke, Kendall Pollard, Josh Cunningham, Darrell Davis, Xeryius Williams, Ryan Mikesell, Kyle Davis, and Darrell Davis (basically EVERY player in Archie Miller’s rotation) can all score at will. I hope URI will be able to defend all of these aforementioned players much better than they did against Gibbs and Aldridge yesterday.
Finally, anyone else have this reaction to E.C. Matthews dunk in OT yesterday?
