Rhode Island basketball finally fields a full team against Northeastern; here's what happened

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Finally.

Not just a win to close 2023. The University of Rhode Island sorely needed it after dropping five straight.

Saturday's game also marked a first chance for Archie Miller to coach his full men's basketball team. David Green debuted, David Fuchs returned and Josaphat Bilau spelled the frontcourt at a key time in the second half.

The Rams pulled away for an 82-71 triumph against Northeastern, their first taste of success in more than a month. Five players hit double figures and there was visible energy throughout. Saint Joseph’s awaits in the Atlantic 10 opener on Wednesday and URI now carries a reason for some confidence when hosting the Hawks at the Ryan Center.

“We needed to win,” URI guard Jaden House said. “We couldn’t end December without a win. We needed to win.”

“That’s a great answer,” URI guard Luis Kortright said.

Yale fell victim to a second-half comeback here just after Thanksgiving. The Rams had nothing to show for their efforts following that Nov. 26 triumph until these 40 minutes. House led the offense with 19 points, Kortright added 12 of his 14 in the second half and Fuchs collected 10 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.

“I liked where we were at today just in terms of the intensity,” Miller said. “I thought guys played hard.”

Green’s introduction had plenty to do with it. The two-time transfer from Hofstra and Louisiana Tech is eligible after a recent blanket federal court ruling in West Virginia. An ankle sprain in practice forced a further delay, but Green was healthy for this one and chipped in 15 points off the bench in 21 minutes.

“It’s been rough,” Green said. “It hasn’t been easy sitting out and going through things. But my teammates picked me up — I've got a good group of guys.”

Green introduced some needed grit in the opening half. He sparred with Huskies guard Joe Pridgen over a loose ball with 7:07 to play and the officiating crew needed to step in before going to the monitor. URI forced a season-high 16 turnovers and generated 12 of its 14 fast-break points through those first 20 minutes — that sudden injection of venom didn’t feel coincidental.

“He’s clearly our team’s most dominant personality,” Miller said. “He’s experienced. He’s also in the timeouts coaching, talking.

“Before he was standing behind those guys trying to do it. Now he’s in the huddle. It’s a little easier to listen to him.”

More: URI women survive Harvard scare in an imperfect performance. Here's how they did it.

That didn’t mean it was all smooth sailing for the Rams. They were careless with the ball early and allowed Northeastern to mount a 10-0 run deep in the second half that created a bit of an anxious mood. Kortright snapped the announced crowd of 4,311 back to the positive with a 3-pointer from the right wing, and that 64-58 lead with 7:50 left never came under serious threat again.

“I didn’t know they were on a 10-0 run,” Kortright said. “These guys get on me every day because I don’t shoot the ball enough.”

Kortright dropped to the bench in favor of guard Cam Estevez, who made a first career start and hit double figures for the third time in four games. He totaled 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting and was a plus-14 in 32 minutes. Fuchs made it a pair of true freshmen who played important roles — his three games out while sitting in concussion protocol came after strong back-to-back performances against Providence and Brown.

“Clearly the hardest playing, most active team we’ve had this season on defense,” Miller said. “We won that game because of defensive activity. Defense to offense, we were able to get stops.”

Kortright’s layup out of the final media timeout just about salted it away. Green’s runner in the lane bounced around the rim before dropping through with 2:15 left, handing URI (6-7) a 77-67 advantage. House skipped back down the floor like a little kid, a wide smile on his face and the Huskies (5-8) took what proved to be a last futile timeout.

“Just being out there having fun — I think we kind of lost that,” House said. “That’s one of the main things I wanted to do today.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com    

On X: @BillKoch25 

NORTHEASTERN (71): Doherty 5-7 0-0 10, Kermoury 2-4 0-0 5, Pridgen 8-15 2-3 19, Sakota 0-3 0-0 0, Troutman 0-2 2-4 2, King 6-9 2-2 14, Woods 2-4 1-1 5, Johnson 1-4 3-4 5, Nwagha 3-4 0-0 6, McClintock 1-2 2-2 5, Frankel 0-0 0-0 0, Metcalf 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 28-54 12-16 71.

RHODE ISLAND (82): Fuchs 5-6 0-0 10, Estevez 6-12 1-2 15, House 6-13 6-6 19, Montgomery 3-5 1-3 8, Wright 0-1 0-0 0, Kortright 5-9 2-3 14, Green 6-10 2-2 15, Brown 0-0 0-2 0, Bilau 0-0 0-0 0, Foumena 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 31-57 13-20 82.

Halftime — Rhode Island 40-36. 3-point goals — Northeastern 3-13 (Kermoury 1-2, McClintock 1-2, Pridgen 1-4, Doherty 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Sakota 0-1, Troutman 0-1, Woods 0-1), Rhode Island 7-18 (Estevez 2-4, Kortright 2-5, Green 1-2, House 1-3, Montgomery 1-3, Wright 0-1). Rebounds — Northeastern 18 (Pridgen 5), Rhode Island 32 (Fuchs 12). Assists — Northeastern 14 (Pridgen, Troutman 3), Rhode Island 16 (Montgomery 4). Total fouls — Northeastern 18, Rhode Island 13. Records — Northeastern 5-8, Rhode Island 6-7. A — 4,311 (7,657).

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI basketball ends non-conference play with victory over Northeastern