Rhode Island’s men’s basketball team was unable to complete a comeback against Saint Joseph’s, falling 61-55 on Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center.
The Rams trailed by as many as 13 points with 14 minutes left in the second half. They managed to reduce the deficit to just one point before Saint Joseph’s scored the final five points of the game. This secured the win for the Hawks, who improved their record to 19-10 overall and 11-5 in conference play. Rhode Island dropped to 15-14 overall and 6-10 in conference games.
After holding Saint Joseph’s scoreless for five minutes late in the game, Rhode Island narrowed the gap to six points. Jahmere Tripp made a three-pointer with five minutes remaining, making it a one-possession game at 54-51. Following a Hawks basket, Tyler Cochran converted two free throws, bringing Rhode Island within one at 56-55. However, Jaden Glover-Toscano hit a three-pointer for Saint Joseph’s on the next possession, followed by a dunk from Justice Ajogbor that sealed the victory.
The Rams started strong with a 9-2 run capped by a Jonah Hinter jumper. Their defense held Saint Joseph’s without a field goal for six minutes to open the game. The Hawks responded with a 14-2 run of their own and took control for most of the first half. On Rhode Island’s last possession before halftime, Jonah Hinton hit a three-pointer to cut Saint Joseph’s lead to 30-27.
Saint Joseph’s maintained control through much of the second half while Rhode Island struggled offensively and never led after halftime. Alex Crawford’s layup with four minutes left was Rhode Island’s final field goal of the contest.
Tyler Cochran recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, along with three assists and one steal. His previous best rebounding performance was 13 in 2021. Alex Crawford contributed off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds, and an assist. Jahmere Tripp finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Keeyan Itejere added ten points along with four rebounds and two blocks. Myles Corey chipped in four points as well as five rebounds and four assists.
Rhode Island limited Saint Joseph’s to just one made three-pointer (1-of-14) during the first half.
Next up for Rhode Island is a home matchup against Duquesne on Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m., which will be available on ESPN+ and Varsity Network.
