Rhode Island basketball upsets St. Joseph to open Atlantic 10 play. How the Rams did it.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Rhode Island’s gutsy performance Wednesday would have been a good sign regardless of outcome.

It turned into something more.

Down by as many as 13 points in the second half against a strong Saint Joseph’s team, the Rams inched their way back into the game and surged late for a 78-74 victory in their Atlantic 10 opener at the Ryan Center. Luis Kortright hit the game-winner on a floater in the lane with one second remaining.

“We’ve just been practicing hard every day,” Kortright said. “Coach has not been giving us breaks. We’ve been in a funk, so, as players, you don’t want to practice as long as you usually have to. He’s been having us in there three-plus hours, 2½ hours. We’ve been really working and it’s just paying off now.”

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David Green continued his sudden emergence for the Rams with 16 points and 10 rebounds. David Fuchs also logged a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden House joined them in double figures with 15 points and Kortright scored 12 to go with five assists.

Here’s what stood out from the victory:

Confidence and grit go a long way

Just two weeks ago, the Rams bottomed out in a loss to New Hampshire. It was their fifth straight defeat. They were banged up, short on confidence and prone to downward spirals when things weren’t going their way.

The difference Wednesday night was stark. Saint Joseph’s threatened to pull away several times in the second half, but the Rams never wavered. Two weeks ago, they very well might have.

“Clearly didn’t happen,” URI head coach Archie Miller said. “I thought our kids stayed with it. They were encouraging each other.”

The final charge was URI’s best. It was a 60-50 Hawks lead when the Rams made a move thanks to their bench. In his first action of the night, Jeremy Foumena converted a three-point play. Brandon Weston — who did not play in last week’s game against Northeastern — followed with four straight points.

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“I think today was just a great opportunity for our team to grow up a little bit right before us,” Miller said. “Down 10 in the second half, weren’t playing well, got caught up in the officiating. Our bench did a great job. Brandon Weston and Jeremy Foumena really stepped up when we needed a burst. It’s really a testament to them in terms of how they prepared to play the last few days. We had some hungry guys in practice who are getting the message that we aren’t going to play guys just to play them. You’ve got to earn it.”

Green tied the game with two free throws, then spun for a bucket in the post with 4:32 remaining that put the Rams in front 65-63. After a Hawks answer, Fuchs put URI up 68-65 with an and-one.

Baskets by House and Green kept URI going. The Hawks had an answer for both, but URI ended up with a chance to play for the last shot in a tie game. Out of a timeout, Kortright circled in from the top of the key, got around his defender and lofted home a high floater that proved to be the game-winner.

“I went to [Green] and tried to use the screen but I saw two people just staying with him. I went to the left side and I tucked the ball,” Kortright said. “At that point, I was like, ‘There’s nobody else to throw it to but the rim. Got it up.’ ”

Miller said after the New Hampshire loss that a small dose of confidence would go a long way. With the addition of Green and improved health, the Rams found that spark in a win over Northeastern. The hints of progress on display that night quickly molded into a more complete picture on Wednesday. The Rams have found a little something and are starting to run with it.

“We just stayed together,” Green said. “We know we can do it better together than we can separate. As long as we do it together, we’re in every game.”

David Green is a game-changer for Rhode Island

URI is 2-0 with Green in uniform and it’s no coincidence. The 6-foot-7-inch, 230-pound forward has provided an immense boost to a URI team that desperately needed one.

Newly eligible after the court ruling that granted relief to all NCAA two-time transfers, Green has made an immediate impact. He had 15 points in the win over Northeastern. Wednesday's contest brought his first double-double.

Fuchs also has made life easier for the Rams since returning from a concussion that sidelined him for three games.

“I think they got a lot more confidence in each other when we got healthy. I don’t think that’s any secret,” Miller said.

“I think we were really struggling there for two to three weeks with lineups. At the end of the day, losing a few games can really knock you off kilter. You need leadership, you need toughness, you need guys who have been through it. Coming off Christmas break, getting David Green to basically fully commit to coming back and getting David Fuchs cleared just changed the whole complexion of what we’re doing. I don’t want to make excuses, but we’re not the same team.”

As important as his contributions to the box score is Green’s presence. He wasn’t in the starting lineup on Wednesday. When Saint Joseph’s started the game with six straight points, Miller called a timeout and put Green into the game, a clear nod to his ability to change things for the Rams. He ended up playing 31 minutes.

“When your clear leader on your team — which is David Green — is out there, other guys get a little more confidence in themselves,” Miller said. “And I think that really has helped us.”

The Rams are 1-0 in Atlantic 10 play

Rhody would be thrilled with a 1-0 start to conference play no matter the opponent. Getting it against Saint Joseph’s adds some significance. The Hawks came in at 10-3 and own one of the A-10’s best non-conference showings of the year, a victory over Villanova. They also took Kentucky to overtime in a loss. Featuring star guard Erik Reynolds and a veteran backcourt, the Hawks should be in the top tier of the league.

“Watching them on film against Kentucky, Villanova, Princeton — that’s an NCAA Tournament team,” Miller said. “I thought we were really going to have our hands full.”

The Rams largely controlled Reynolds, limiting him to three field goals, though he finished with 14 points. The Hawks are among the nation’s leaders in 3-point field goals and attempts per game, but they shot just 8-30 on Wednesday.

Defense has also been a calling card, with the Hawks ranking first among A-10 teams in KenPom’s defensive efficiency metric. The Rams turned the ball over only 10 times and finished with 18 assists. After struggling at the free-throw line in the first half, they made 13 of 17 in the second.

The performance was far from perfect for the Rams, but the win fuels some optimism about what’s to come in the A-10 season, especially given the team’s struggles in December.

“New team, new season,” Miller said. “If you watched us play, the first 10 or 11 games were totally different just in terms of personnel and ability level. Now that we have some things figured out, we can keep tweaking it a little bit more. We’re going to need every single guy on our team to be ready to go. But we’re a little different right now.”

SAINT JOSEPH'S (74): Finkley 0-3 0-0 0, Fleming 5-8 1-4 12, C.Brown 3-6 0-0 6, Greer 7-16 6-7 21, Reynolds 3-10 5-6 14, X.Brown 3-11 4-4 13, Klaczek 1-3 0-2 2, Simmons 2-4 0-1 4, Essandoko 1-2 0-2 2. Totals: 25-63 16-26 74.

RHODE ISLAND (78): Fuchs 5-7 3-5 13, Estevez 2-8 1-2 7, House 6-11 2-3 15, Kortright 4-12 2-3 12, Montgomery 1-6 4-4 6, Green 4-12 7-15 16, Weston 1-3 2-2 4, T.Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Foumena 1-1 1-1 3. Totals: 25-61 22-35 78.

Halftime — Saint Joseph's 36-30. 3-point goals — Saint Joseph's 8-30 (X.Brown 3-6, Reynolds 3-8, Fleming 1-3, Greer 1-5, Klaczek 0-1, Simmons 0-1, C.Brown 0-3, Finkley 0-3), Rhode Island 6-25 (Kortright 2-6, Estevez 2-7, Green 1-4, House 1-4, Weston 0-1, Montgomery 0-3). Fouled out — C.Brown, Essandoko, Fuchs. Rebounds — Saint Joseph's 38 (Fleming 12), Rhode Island 38 (Fuchs, Green 10). Assists — Saint Joseph's 12 (Greer, X.Brown 3), Rhode Island 18 (Kortright 5). Total fouls — Saint Joseph's 25, Rhode Island 20.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI basketball opens Atlantic 10 season with upset of St. Joseph's