[VIDEO] Second Half Fade Dooms Rams

KINGSTON – The University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team couldn’t keep pace with a 55.2 percent shooting performance from La Salle in the second half, dropping their latest Atlantic 10 game 72-65 to the Explorers on Sunday afternoon.

Like several games this year, URI (8-18, 3-10 Atlantic 10) held the lead at halftime, 30-27. However, the Rams started the second half cold, giving La Salle (19-7, 9-4 Atlantic 10) enough daylight to swell the lead to as much as 13 points.

A couple late baskets by the Rams – 3s from Xavier Munford and Andre Malone – cut the lead to six points, but URI didn’t get it any lower than six in the final four minutes. La Salle’s Tyreek Duren led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the floor.

URI’s offensive standout was surprise starter Mike Aaman, who finished with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The freshman center got his shots on a variety of headfakes and spins in the paint, and also chipped in six rebounds, two assists and a block.

Aaman started in the place of freshman Jordan Hare, who dressed for the game but did not play. In his place, Aaman played 29 minutes, and senior Ryan Brooks played nine minutes, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds.

URI head coach Danny Hurley said Hare’s benching was for disciplinary reasons, adding that he needed guys to give the effort the program needed – in the classroom, in practice and in games – seven days a week, not five or six.

Senior Nikola Malesevic combined effectively on several pick-and-roll plays with Aaman, giving the Rams a surprisingly potent inside attack against a smaller La Salle team. Malesevic finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

However, the URI guards and wings – especially starting point guard Mike Powell – struggled against the intense pressure of La Salle. The Explorers doubled Powell, Munford, Malone and reserve T.J. Buchanan hard, trying to force the Rams to give looks to offensive non-factors like Alwayne Bigby and Brooks.

Powell finished 0-for-7 from the floor as a result, with four assists negated by four turnovers. Munford finished with a team-high 18 points, but was frequently forced into shots with little or no time left on the shot clock, and only shot 6-for-16 as a result.

Malone only took four shots, hitting one, and as a result, Buchanan cut into his playing time. The sophomore finished with seven points – 2-for-4 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the line – and added three assists and a block in 25 minutes. Malone played 24 minutes, scoring four points and snagging five rebounds.

The loss all but eliminates URI from qualifying for the Atlantic 10 tournament. Prior to the game, if the Rams won all four of their remaining contests, they had an outside chance at going to Brooklyn.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 3-10 in Atlantic 10 play. A single win by St. Joseph’s – currently at six with games left to play against three-win URI and two-win Fordham – would make anything URI did irrelevant. A single loss by URI eliminates them from tournament contention, along with a slew of other factors, such as multiple wins from St. Bonaventure, George Washington and Richmond.

URI next plays 2 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at Temple, followed by a game Wednesday, March 6 at St. Joes. The Rams end their home schedule and season schedule at home, hosting UMass at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9.