SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The warning signs were there through Central Connecticut State’s first nine games, and the University of Rhode Island men were wise to heed them.
A scare at Providence on the season’s opening night was followed by road wins over Atlantic 10 rivals Saint Joseph’s and Massachusetts. The Blue Devils also took care of UMass Lowell, one of the preseason favorites in the America East.
The Rams required the proper approach and attention to detail Sunday afternoon. They found both in a 77-69 victory at the Ryan Center, breaking away midway through the second half.
More: Rhode Island basketball turns in best performance of season — against best team so far
“We beat a good team,” URI coach Archie Miller said. “I’m happy for our group that we were able to close out the nonconference portion at home.”
URI overcame a cold start from the field to lead at halftime and connected on seven of its first eight shots out of the break. That helped the Rams build a lead that eventually swelled to 69-56 when Jamarques Lawrence drilled a 3-pointer with 3:02 left. Central Connecticut State created a couple sticky spots down the stretch, but nothing after that deep jumper truly threatened the final result.
“Just back to the basics,” Lawrence said. “That’s it.”
URI was coming off its first loss of the season, a bitter double-overtime defeat at state rival Brown. The Rams were also without point guard Sebastian Thomas (foot), who suffered what’s believed to be a minor injury in the 84-80 defeat against the Bears. Lawrence was among those picking up the slack next time out, totaling 16 points and six assists while playing all 40 minutes.
“Our team had to look at where we were heading offensively,” Miller said. “The Brown game was really poorly played in terms of our defense to offense and our floor game.”
Brown harassed URI into 21 turnovers against just seven assists through 50 minutes. Those numbers flipped in this one – 20 assists and only seven turnovers while operating against mixed man-to-man and 3-2 zone looks. David Fuchs added his second double-double of the season, totaling 10 points and 12 rebounds while helping the Rams build a 13-5 advantage on second-chance points.
“I get the feeling every time I do a good job on the boards our chances of winning are higher,” Fuchs said. “I try to impact the game as much as I can.”
Fuchs muscled home a bucket from the left block with 14:41 left to cap an 8-0 run, and URI (10-1) suddenly had a 54-44 lead after trailing as much as six points late in the first half. Drissa Traore’s jumper from the left side and Cam Estevez’s 3-pointer from the left wing matched that margin, and the Blue Devils (6-4) were left chasing while attempting to extend their four-game winning streak.
“Take care of the ball,” Lawrence said. “I can sacrifice some shots and get my teammates involved. That was my emphasis today.”
Devin Haid closed with a game-high 24 points for Central Connecticut State, which has three games left before pivoting to Northeast Conference play. The Rams have just one left in the nonconference against an old league foe, matching up with Temple on Saturday on a neutral floor in Springfield. Thomas will be a gametime decision against the Owls, who improved to 6-4 with a Sunday win over Hofstra.
“I do think we’ve earned the right to feel pretty good,” Miller said. “We should go into this next opportunity with great motivation to finish the nonconference.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island basketball tops Central Conn. State, 77-69, on Sunday
