PITTSBURGH — For the fourth straight year, the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team saw its season end in its first matchup of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The No. 10 seeded Rams were squared against No. 7 seeded Duquesne University in what was essentially a home game for the Dukes inside PPG Paints Arena. The two teams split the season series, both capturing home victories, but in the game with the highest stakes, Duquesne came out on top 67-61 on Thursday, March 12.
Both offenses looked reserved in the opening possessions. Duquesne’s Brandon Hall hit a free throw a minute into the game, and the Dukes led the entire rest of the way.
With 18:22 left in the first half, A-10 co-defensive player of the year and all-conference second teamer Tyler Cochran hit a 3-pointer, the first shot of the game for Rhode Island. He finished the game with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and nine 3-point field goals, tying an A-10 Tournament record.
The Dukes were bolstered by Alex Williams, who posted 22 points, eight rebounds and a season-high 32 minutes off the bench. Duquesne had a field day generating second-chance opportunities, with six offensive rebounds by the second media timeout in the first half. The Dukes dominated down low for most of the game, with 32 points in the paint to Rhode Island’s 12.
“The third time you play a team, you have to control the controllables,” URI coach Archie Miller said after the game. “Those second-chance points, 14 points off turnovers, they won in both categories. When you look at the points off turnovers it was 14-0; that’s probably the most telling sign of the game that they deserve to win.”
Miller highlighted Duquesne’s ability to capitalize in transition, generally a characteristic of Rhode Island’s offense. For the first time this season, however, the team only forced one turnover. Entering the tournament, the Rams ranked No. 25 in turnovers forced per game with 14.5.
“We were one of the top 50, 60 defenses in the country, and it was built around disruption,” Miller said. “For us to play a 40-minute game and have a team play with one turnover, that’s really hard for us to overcome.”
Outside of Cochran, the next highest scorer for the Rams was RJ Johnson, who tallied nine points off 30% shooting. Jahmere Tripp faced foul trouble, and only notched 19 minutes despite being a mainstay in the starting lineup for much of the season.
Miller took responsibility for the end result of the season. At the same time, he was impressed with the personalities he recruited. He described Johnson as a guy who is bound to be a coach one day. He also noted that Keeyan Itejere had much more on his plate than anticipated with the early season-ending injury of Mouhamed Sow.
“We had our opportunities throughout the course of the year to break through and get over the hump,” Miller said. “We didn’t do it, it’s on me. But in terms of the guys, we had really hit the mark on being able to get good people.”
The statement about character was echoed by the players themselves. Cochran and Johnson, who both ended their collegiate playing careers on Thursday, spoke highly on the nature of this Rhode Island team.
“For me, it’s more about the impact off the floor,” Johnson said. “The bus rides, the times you’re on the plane, Me, Tyler, Jonah [Hinton] going to breakfast. It’s the things that you guys don’t see as much, that’s what’ll stick with me the most.”
Rhode Island had beaten Duquesne 64-52 on March 4 in Kingston, and lost on the road to the Dukes on Feb. 1, 76-61. The Rams end their season at 16-16, a step backwards from last year’s 18-13, and 7-11 in the conference. Miller’s record in the A-10 Tournament falls to 0-4. Rhode Island’s last win in the conference tournament came in 2022 when it edged Duquesne 79-77 under then-coach David Cox.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island men’s basketball lose to Duquesne 67-61 in A-10 tourney