Rhode Island’s (17-10) strong start meant nothing to Dayton (19-9), who bullied the Rams for a full 20 minutes, eventually leading to an 85-77 victory for the Flyers.
Dayton found themselves trailing by 10 points through the first nine minutes, but a defensive adjustment to a 1-3-1 zone made by head coach Anthony Grant stifled the Rams for what felt like an eternity. To that point, Rhode Island had thrown Dayton around in the paint, but by forcing the Rams to rely on jump shots, the complexion of the game completely shifted. Rhode Island went scoreless for the next seven minutes, missing nine straight attempts and turning it over five times.
“In the first 10 minutes of the game we had a way about us early in the game that we were in control,” Rhode Island head coach Archie Miller said. “They switched and went to a zone, and I thought that in about a three or four-minute stretch, we probably had six possessions of three wide-open shots that didn’t go and then three 50/50 plays around the basket, whether it be drives or whatnot that kind of really stagnated us.”
That zone wasn’t the only defensive look that Grant threw at the Rams; later in the second half, Grant used a full-court press like the one that VCU (23-5) used earlier in the season.
“In the first half we had them… we defended them well I think,” Rhode Island second-year forward David Fuchs said. “In the second half their guards pressured us, and it was a whole different game. The zone kind of gave us problems too.”
Dayton used this defensive adjustment as a launch pad; over the next 20:30 minutes, the Flyers scored 49 points to Rhode Island’s 20. The Flyers had been trailing by 10 points and, by the end of their run, were up by 19.
Four Flyers scored 11-plus points, and three Flyers scored 15-plus points. It’s difficult to pick one Flyer who was more important than the collective group, but two stood just a little taller than the rest. Fourth-year Nate Santos scored 19 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Those 3-pointers made a massive difference as Rhode Island stormed back in the second half. Santos made two of them in the final five minutes, extending Dayton’s lead back to nine on both makes.
The other Flyer who stood above the rest was fourth-year Enoch Cheeks, a Providence, Rhode Island native who finally played his first collegiate game in the Ocean State. Cheeks received a welcoming ovation from the Ryan Center when he was announced in Dayton’s starting lineup, and he didn’t disappoint. The former Mount Pleasant High School standout scored 15 points, eight rebounds, four steals and a block.
For Rhode Island, this loss is likely to end any hopes of a bye in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. It’s difficult to imagine that the Rams ended up at the bottom of the A-10 following their 9-0 start to the season. However, it’s clear how they’ve ended up in this position: an inability to win on the road and a defense that relies on a strong offense.
Through their 12 non-conference games, the Rams only played on the road once, a double-overtime loss to Brown (13-11). The Rams allowed 80 points once in the non-conference. In Rhode Island’s 14 A-10 games, the Rams have allowed 80 or more points eight times. Part of Rhode Island’s defensive struggles is their inability to run players off the 3-point line; opponents have made 10-plus 3-pointers in five of the last six games. As for Rhode Island’s offense, the 3-point shot has become elusive; very rarely have the Rams shot it efficiently on volume. Rhode Island made just two 3-pointers on 19 attempts. While the Rams rank in the top five in the A-10 in 3-point percentage, they also rank in the bottom five in makes and attempts.
Second chance points have also become a major issue for Rhode Island even though Fuchs leads the A-10 in rebound rate at 21.5%. The Rams have allowed their opponents to come down with 11-plus offensive rebounds in nine of their 14 A-10 games; this also happened in eight of their 12 non-conference games. Early in the season, it was a clear issue when the Rams allowed Divison II Franklin Pierce (3-25) to secure 15 offensive rebounds.
In order to avoid playing in the first round, the Rams will likely have to win out, meaning they’ll have to win back-to-back road games for the first time in the Archie Miller era. The Miller era hasn’t been kind to the Rams; Miller has started his Rhode Island tenure 16-34 in the A-10. At just 32%, it’s the worst conference-winning percentage of any coach in Rhode Island history through their first three seasons. Yet, it’s important to remind people of this program’s improvement. In Miller’s first season, the team won just nine games; the following year, that number climbed to 12 despite an entirely new roster. These 17 wins are the most the program has had in a season since 2019, and given the ever-changing landscape of college athletics and the uncertainty of rosters year-to-year, one should appreciate the importance of these improvements.
