URI Holds On To Beat UMass, Stop Skid

Rhode Island held on for an 88-82 win over Massachusetts on Wednesday night at the Ryan Center in the teams’ penultimate meeting as Atlantic 10 foes.

Despite holding a 21-point lead, the Rams (15-6, 4-5 A-10) were nearly toppled by the Minutemen, who outscored their hosts by 15 over the final 16 minutes..

Massachusetts (9-12, 4-4 A-10) controlled play at the start of the game, pulling away by nearly double-digits before the Rams started to reel them in. After four ties, Jaden House finally awarded URI the lead when he hit a pair of free throws at the 4:56 mark (31-29). The teams went back and forth over the next few possessions until Sebastian Thomas was fouled on a made 3-pointer and converted on his ensuing trip to the charity stripe, kicking off a run that sent the Rams into the locker room with a 46-38 advantage.

Momentum was entirely in favor of Rhody after the break, as the team started the half with a 13-0 run to go up by 21 on a Jamarques Lawrence three (59-38, 16:27). The offense cooled off following the initial outburst, going nearly three full minutes without any points until House laid in a basket at 13:20.

As URI’s offense lost steam, the visitors’ got going. UMass made nine straight field goals during a nearly three-minute period in which the Rams were held without a field goal, allowing the visitors to trim the lead down to just four on a Daniel Sanford-Hankins trey (80-76, 3:14). Minutes later, Sanford-Hankins narrowed the deficit down to one possession when he hit a jumper that made it 82-80 URI with just over a minute to go.

Though the teams alternated free throw attempts down the stretch, Rhode Island managed to stay in front for the victory.

Inside the Box Score
With the win, Rhode Island has earned its most home wins (11-2) since going 12-3 in 2019-20.
The victory also helped the Rams snap their first two-game losing streak of the 2024-25 season.
URI shot 56.6 percent from the floor, its best showing of the season. The Rams made 30 of their 53 shots.
Guard Sebastian Thomas scored a team-best 22 points, snapping a two-game skid in which he did not surpass 20. He flirted with a triple-double with eight rebounds and seven assists.
Thomas was one of four Rams to finish in double figures, joined by guard Jaden House (18), forward David Green (18) and guard Jamarques Lawrence (13).
Center Javonte Brown recorded a game-high four blocks, double UMass’ effort as a team, and poured in eight points.
The Minutemen out-rebounded the Rams 39-34. UMass entered the night averaging a league-best 40 boards per game, 25th in the nation.
Massachusetts’ Rahsool Diggins scored a game-high 27 points.
Rhode Island and Massachusetts are scheduled to meet one final time during the regular season on Saturday, March 1 in Amherst. UMass announced that it will join the Mid-American Conference in 2025-26.
Up Next
The Rams will have to wait a week for their next game, which will be played at Fordham on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.