Defense Struggles To Slow Down UNH as URI Men Lose Fifth Straight Thursday

University of Rhode Island Press Release

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

New Hampshire Starters 
Robinson, Miller, Baker, Daniels, Woodyard

How it Happened
Zek Montgomery’s late heroics were impressive, but not enough to help Rhode Island overtake New Hampshire down the stretch, as the Rams were defeated 81-71 at The Ryan Center on Thursday night. The loss was the fifth-straight for Rhody (5-7).

The Wildcats (8-4) seemed to be in control from the start, opening up the night with a 9-1 run that forced Rhody to burn a timeout just two minutes into the game. URI regained control after the pause, scoring six points to trim the deficit before a Cam Estevez trey put the team ahead, 10-9.

After the early sprees, the game was more competitive with the teams trading scores. Rhode Island maintained the lead for most of the way, though shooting struggles in the final minutes allowed New Hampshire to take a 38-34 advantage into the break.

The Rams made a solid attempt to surpass their visitors at the start of the second half, tying up the score when Estevez sank another three to make it 41-41 but it was the closest they got as the Wildcats remained in control.

URI struggled with turnovers down the stretch, committing five in a span of as many minutes that allowed New Hampshire to stretch its lead to double digits with 10 to go. Montgomery kept his team in it, going 5-for-5 from the charity stripe and completing a pair of old-fashioned three point plays that even trimmed the lead to eight with four minutes on the clock.

Unfortunately, his late spurt was not enough for Rhody to overcome the disadvantage.

Inside the Box Score

• Zek Montgomery led the Rams with 18 points, 16 of which were scored in the second half. With eight boards, he finished just shy of what would have been his second double-double of the season.
• Jeremy Foumena did achieve the feat for the first time in his career with 12 points and a career-best 10 boards.
• Jaden House also finished in the double-digits, scoring 16. He was nearly perfect from the stripe, going 5-for-6.
• Both teams recorded 43 rebounds, with Rhody earning a 13-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
• The Rams had a stark advantage in bench points at 23-8. Rhode Island also outscored the Wildcats in the paint, 34-28.
• There were seven total lead changes in the game and four different ties.
• The game resumed a New England rivalry that had not been played for the last decade.

What’s Next
Rhode Island will return to action following a nine-day break with a game against Northeastern on Saturday, Dec. 30. Tip-off against the Huskies is set for 1 p.m. at The Ryan Center and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+. It will be the Rams’ final non-conference game of the 2023-24 season.