In a conference as unpredictable as the Atlantic 10, there is always one thing you can count on: Sebastian Thomas game-winners.
Rhode Island (14-4) climbed to .500 in A-10 play after defending home court against Davidson (12-6) in a 92-90 shootout. The Rams were once again saved by the Providence, Rhode Island, native, who nailed his fifth game-winning basket of the season on a top-of-the-key runner.
“After Reed Bailey made the layup, I saw there was 5.2 on the clock. I knew I only had a couple dribbles to get up the court,” Thomas said. “I saw five red bodies in front of me and I just shot it and it went in.”
Thomas played his most complete game since A-10 play started. The A-10’s leader in assists finished with 22 points and 10 assists with zero turnovers. Thomas also made a season-high four 3-pointers and played all 40 minutes for the second game in a row. It’s difficult to imagine where the Rams would be without the boomerang transfer.
“He’s having a magical run so far through 18 games,” Rhode Island head coach Archie Miller said. “What he’s been able to do and deliver, I haven’t seen it very often, a guy doing what he’s done… there isn’t a better player in our league in terms of playing the position or more important to their team… he’s fearless.”
This contest also saw the return of the Rams leading scorer from a year ago, fourth-year David Green. Green missed the previous three games due to a shoulder injury he suffered against Temple on Dec. 21. In those three games, the Rams went 1-2 and scored less than 70 points twice. Green led the Rams in scoring with 22 points, including four makes from beyond the arc.
Green’s return to the lineup provided spacing the Rams desperately missed. Rhode Island knocked down a season-high 13 3-pointers, more than they had made over the last two games combined. That spacing also allowed the Rams to play their inside-out style of offense, which led to 21 assists on 36 makes.
“I thought our guys, from a game plan perspective, were able to get our offense moving the ball,” Miller said. “We were able to make some plays, and we had some guys step up.”
One of those guys who stepped up was second-year forward David Fuchs. Fuchs missed two of the last three games with a toe injury. Fuchs returned for the Rams’ previous game against Loyola Chicago (11-7), but he was under a minutes restriction.
With no restrictions, Fuchs played a season-high 28 minutes. He finished with a team-leading 11 rebounds and tied his career-high of four assists. While he didn’t score much, Fuchs’ two buckets were game-changing for the Rams: an and-one dunk on a lob from Thomas that put the Rams up with 4:24 to go, followed by a tip-in second-chance basket to extend the Rams’ lead to three with 1:34 to go.
“I was just happy to be out there and try to impact the game as much as possible with my physicality,” Fuchs said. “Conference play isn’t kind to anybody; you really can’t take your time to find yourself back into the game… especially in my role. I just got to bring physicality, and I think that’s what you can bring regardless of how good you shoot.”
Davidson’s third-year Reed Bailey and second-year Bailey Durkin dominated the Rams, both scoring career highs. The two combined for 58 points and 17 rebounds, and Bailey had 11 assists. In the first half, the two had 35 of Davidson’s 47 points. No other Wildcat had more than three points. Halftime provided Rhode Island with the needed time to make necessary adjustments.
“We really tried to be a little tighter on catches,” Miller said. “Bottom line is they were moving the ball so fast they were going to catch someone napping, they’re unique though, when you relieve all your pressure through your big [Bailey] there is really not a whole lot you can do. So, what we tried to do later in the game was say he can’t reverse it as easy, he can’t make a simple pass as easy, let’s see if we can make him make more plays off the dribble.”
Those two continued to lead the Wildcats. However, their impact was limited in the second half compared to the first. In the final 15 minutes, Bailey and Durkin combined for just two field goals.
Moving past the Wildcats, Rhode Island will focus on the A-10’s top Ram, VCU (14-4). While the A-10 has imploded since league play started, VCU has become the conference’s best squad. The Yellow Rams rank 56 in NET, nearly 20 spots ahead of the second-best team according to NET, the Dayton Flyers (12-6). As for the Keaney Blue Rams, they climbed back into the top 100 after their win.
“We got to be ready to go for VCU because right now they’re probably right at the top in terms of their team and their talent,” Miller said. “We got to be better Tuesday night.”
VCU has beaten Rhode Island in four straight games dating back to 2021. This season, the Rams are 10-1 at home, but this will be their third game in six days. As for VCU, they have won four straight, including wins against Saint Louis (11-7) and Saint Joseph’s (11-7). The game will be on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.
