KINGSTON, RI — When you think of great Rams offenses, you might think of the Greatest Show on Turf.
On Monday, it felt more like the Greatest Show on Hardwood as Rhode Island’s dynamic attack consigned Northeastern to their second eight-point loss in three days.
In Saturday’s defeat at Syracuse, it was Northeastern’s overeagerness that bit them, allowing the Orange a staggering 48 free throw attempts in the loss. On Monday, the Huskies’ offense came to play against a very good Rhode Island defense, but they simply couldn’t string together enough stops to pull out the win.
Sophomore guard Ryan Williams found himself in the Huskies’ starting lineup for the second time in as many games after struggling mightily to start the season. He impressed again, matching a career-high with 21 points while tying a team-high with four assists.
Williams got the first of those four assists on the opening play, finding big man Youri Fritz with a nice feed to get Northeastern on the board. Fritz would repay the sophomore moments later, hitting Williams in stride with a pass that led to a wide open three.
A seemingly innocuous celebration by Williams led to a technical foul, though, and the Rams responded with a four-point possession to tie the game at eight. A tough midrange jumper by junior Jahmere Tripp a possession later nudged URI’s noses in front.
A fast-paced, back-and-forth affair continued into the ides of the first half. Rhode Island held leads between one and seven, answering any Northeastern push with baskets — usually off-balance mid-range jumpers — that kept the Huskies at bay. With nine minutes remaining in the period, the Rams went on a three-minute, 7-0 run. For the first time all night, Northeastern looked helpless against a Rhode Island defense that entered the night tracking in the country’s upper echelon.
After some even play, Fritz stuck home a buzzer-beating layup before halftime, salvaging some momentum and keeping the margin in single-digit territory at 48-39. The 48 points given up in the first half were Northeastern’s most since February 2023, when the Huskies allowed 49 first half points in a drubbing at Charleston.
The second half couldn’t have started worse. Back-to-back poor passes — something you simply can’t afford against a defense like Rhode Island’s — by Northeastern’s Ty Francis led to two URI layups, and a 13-point cushion.
As he’d done all weekend, though, here came Ryan Williams to Northeastern’s aid. The sophomore guard connected on back-to-back triples (sandwiched around a Mike Loughnane technical free throw) before flipping in a tough transition layup. After another Willaims triple minutes later, fellow freshman Xander Alarie threw down an and-1 dunk, and there was suddenly a three-point game at the Ryan Center.
The next few minutes mirrored most of the first half. URI maintained just enough of a lead to keep the Huskies at arm’s length, but Northeastern hung around, never falling too far behind. With three minutes to play and the score at 79-72, freshman Xavier Abreu made a three before Luca Soroa Schaller tossed home a layup on the ensuing NU possession. All of a sudden, it was 79-77, and Rhode Island’s Archie Miller was forced into a timeout.
Unfortunately, the last two minutes belonged to the Rams. Senior forward Alex Crawford, who’d been one of Rhode Island’s best players all night, took over. He began by banking home a difficult reverse layup, before stealing an errant Soroa pass. After a fruitless Rams possession, he harried Soroa again, who threw a pass intended for Williams out of bounds. URI’s RJ Johnson sank his free throws, and the game was on ice.
The 85-77 final felt remarkably similar to Saturday’s defeat at Syracuse. Northeastern, for all of their offensive prowess, just couldn’t quite get stops when they needed them. And, against competition as good as they faced on this truncated road trip, it’s hard to win if you’re not getting stops.
“I thought both teams competed, toe to toe,” said Northeastern head coach Bill Coen. “I thought we came up about four possessions short… We’re a young team. We’re not quite there yet, but it was a great game for us, despite the outcome.”
There were plenty of positives to take. Outside of Williams’ breakout, Loughnane finally started to get going, tallying nine points and seven assists at Syracuse and 11 and four at Rhode Island. The team shot 48% from three, a welcome sign that shots are starting to fall after a horrific start to the season in that department. And, on Monday, Northeastern finally had a full roster (without the out-for-the-season LA Pratt, of course) for the first time in weeks. Reliable depth, which Coen has harped on all season, appears to be on the horizon.
For the Rams, this one certainly had its fair share of unexpected contributors. After star guard Tyler Cochran twisted an ankle early, depth stepped up in the form of graduate guard RJ Johnson and freshman guard Jalen Harper. The former registered a team-high 19 off the bench, while latter scored his first collegiate point early en route to a 10-point, five rebound performance.
“We had 57 bench points,” said Rhode Island’s Archie Miller. “So guys really stepped up. We have a very unselfish group… a very everyday group. They show up every day and practice and work.”
Johnson in particular was huge, eating the lion’s share of the guard minutes. It was the first big performance of the season for RJ, who’d fallen behind in the depth chart to open the season.
“Just continue to stack days,” said Johnson. “No matter how I’m playing, the routine stays the same. Hit the gym every day, take care of your body, eat right, all those things don’t change. At some point [the struggles] will turn. I’ve been like that my whole life. I’ve always been consistent.”
Both URI players and coaches were complimentary of the Huskies, who truly tested Rhode Island from wire to wire. Of course, moral victories don’t matter in sports, but the process — not the result — is the most important thing in the non-conference, and Northeastern certainly showed a much better process over the last three games, even as two go down as losses against talented opponents.
“[Northeastern] has dealt with their fair share of injuries,” said Miller. “[But], they’re very skilled offensively. I really like Alarie. I really like Fritz. Nothing surprised me with their team tonight. They have a good team, they have a lot of guys who can get out there and play. And if they’re healthy, I think they’re going to have a really good season.”
If Northeastern can use non-conference play as a learning experience — and clean up those four possessions that Coach Coen is so focused on — there’s no reason why Coach Miller’s prediction shouldn’t ring true.
Northeastern will return to action on December 29 when they travel to Elon to open CAA play. WRBB will have written coverage.