URI Pulls Away From Johnson & Wales Wednesday

University of Rhode Island Press Release

Rhode Island Starters
Montgomery, Kortright, House, Brown, Fuchs

Johnson & Wales Starters
Duke, Zangerle, Shaw-Glen, Phang, Raspberry

How it Happened
Rhode Island exploded for 60 second-half points as it defeated Johnson & Wales 97-56 Wednesday afternoon

Brandon Weston sparked a 22-0 run for the Rams (4-2) when he made three consecutive 3-point shots. He had 11 of the team’s 22 point in the run, which helped establish a 67-36 lead for the Rams. Zek Montgomery had five points and Jeremy Foumena added four during the key stretch that put the game away.

Rhode Island appeared to take control early thanks to a spark from Foumena and Connor Dubsky off the bench. Foumena had six points and Dubsky had a pair of assists during an 8-2 run that built a 17-7 lead. Johnson & Wales (1-3) kept it close with its outside shooting, as Josh Zangerle and Aerius Raspberry combined for three 3-pointers and 21 points overall in the half. With 2:40 left in the half, it was still a five-point game after a Raspberry 3-pointer made it 31-26. Rhode Island ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 37-26 lead into the break.

With the victory, the Rams clinched a winning record for the month of November. It snaps a string of eight in-season months with a record of .500 or below, dating back to December of 2021.

Inside the Box Score

• Brandon Weston had a career-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the perimeter.
• He was one of five players in double digits, as Jaden House (16), Zek Montgomery (14), Luis Kortright (12) and Jeremy Foumena (10) all got in on the act.
• Always Wright had a plus-38 in 22 minutes. He scored seven points, had eight rebounds, dished out four assists and had four steals in a strong all-around game.
• Wright delivered a coast-to-coast dunk on the break after one of his steals.
• Rhode Island got points from 13 of the 14 players who saw  the floor. Walk-ons Jimmy Ball, Ray Allen III and Jameson Smith all scored their first career points, each getting two points.
• Josaphat Bilau made his first appearance since last December, working his way back from a season-ending injury. While he didn’t score, he had three rebounds, two blocked shots and one assist in eight minutes.
• As a team, the Rams had 16 assists with seven turnovers.
• URI had a 58-27 edge on the boards. David Fuchs led the way with 13 boards, while Always Wright added eight. Jeremy Foumena and Tyson Brown each had six.
• Aerius Raspberry scored 30 points for Johnson & Wales.

Up Next
Rhode Island will host Yale Sunday, Nov. 26 at 4 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+.