For the second straight game, Rhode Island (15-7) failed to play competent basketball from tip-off to final whistle, and this time that 20-minute stretch of dominance wasn’t enough to keep Fordham (11-12) in check.
With 9.1 seconds left, Rhode Island led by one point, Fordham inbounded the ball to sixth-year guard Japhet Medor. Fordham switched on to Rhode Island’s second-year forward David Fuchs by using a screen from Notre Dame transfer Matt Zona. Medor blew by the much slower Fuchs, who clearly didn’t want to commit a foul. Medor missed the open layup, and for a split second, it appeared as though Rhode Island escaped Rose Hill Gym with a win. But to the dismay of everyone in Keaney Blue, no one picked up the rolling Zona, who snatched Fordham’s 14th offensive rebound and put it back in with 2.3 seconds left on the clock.
The game-winning shot gave Fordham an 80-79 victory over Rhode Island on Wednesday at home.
To start the game, Fordham jumped out to a 15-point lead thanks to a quick 10 points from UNLV transfer Jackie Johnson III. Following Fordham’s strong start, Rhode Island punched back with a 22-9 run to end the first half down 39-37. Rhode Island continued to hold Fordham in check over the next 13:43 minutes, outscoring Fordham by eight points and keeping them below 50% from the field.
To this point, Rhode Island did well in the margins, only being outrebounded by one. They also limited themselves to a single second-half turnover through the first 14 minutes. But two costly turnovers from fourth-year David Green led to five points for Fordham.
It’s the fourth game in a row that Rhode Island, a team that once led the A-10 in assists per game, failed to assist more than they turned it over. Despite the costly turnovers, Rhode Island wouldn’t have been in the game without the two-way play of Green, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Green wasn’t the only Rhode Island forward who made a statement in the Bronx. Fuchs played a season-high 31 minutes, scoring 16 points off the bench, the second-highest mark of his career.
Then, keeping with the trends of Atlantic 10 conference play, Rhode Island failed to execute in the final few minutes. Fordham outscored Rhode Island 15-8 in the final 5:28 minutes, 10 of those points coming from Johnson. The former UNLV Rebel knocked down five 3-pointers, leading to 25 points, three rebounds and three steals.
When it was all said and done, head coach Archie Miller and Rhode Island failed in the margins, most importantly allowing those 14 offensive boards compared to eight for themselves.
For Fordham, that’s where they excelled. Fordham had fewer turnovers, scored six more points in the fast break, five more points in the paint and four more points off turnovers. So, how did the game come down to a single play? Rhode Island was an improbable 18 for 18 at the free throw line, but with 15 seconds to go, fourth-year Sebastian Thomas missed the first of a one-and-one. That Thomas miss was rebounded by Fordham’s third-year Joshua Rivera and led to that inbound play that sealed Rhode Island’s fate.
Johnson, alongside his teammates, played with the energy and effort that Rhode Island lacked. This could be because Fordham head coach Keith Urgo returned to the bench after serving a four-game suspension due to a self-reported recruiting violation. This internal turmoil has inspired Fordham, which has won three of its last four games after dropping its first six conference games.
Even after this strong four-game stretch, Fordham remains at the bottom of the A-10 standings at 3-7. However, because of the cannibalism within the A-10, Fordham still sits one game behind the nine seed. That nine seed marks the single bye, and it currently belongs to Rhode Island, who desperately needs the single bye after its best start to a season since 1949 and its first win over Providence since 2019. Rhode Island still has eight games to make up a two-game deficit to Dayton (16-7). Fordham has another eight games to climb the A-10 standings and make up for its slow start.
Fordham will get a week off before it defends Rose Hill Gym against the Dayton Flyers. As for the Rams, they’ll make the 407-mile trip from Kingston to Fairfax, Virginia, to play one seed George Mason (18-5). Heading into the game, George Mason is 9-1 in A-10 play, its lone loss coming against Rhode Island despite the fact the Patriots held the Rams to 33.3% from the field. That game tips off at 4 p.m. Saturday and can be watched on ESPN+.
