SOUTH KINGSTOWN — This is familiar territory for the University of Rhode Island.
It’s the fourth straight year the Rams have won their first two games in Atlantic 10 play with a road trip on tap next.
Only once has URI gone on to start 3-0, that coming thanks to a one-point win at Duquesne in 2014-15. Losses at Saint Joseph’s and Dayton, respectively, the last two seasons have kept the Rams from matching that achievement. URI and George Washington square off on Saturday in the nation’s capital, with the Rams looking to strengthen their grip atop the league.
“We haven’t won a road game yet,” URI coach Dan Hurley said, his tone flat and serious. “And since I’ve been here we haven’t won at GW.”
Hurley’s comments came after Wednesday’s 74-62 home victory over La Salle, when the Rams tied their Ryan Center mark with an 11th straight home triumph. He was content with the outcome but less than pleased with the performance, as the Rams matched a season-low with just seven assists and committed double-digit turnovers for the first time in five games. Only standout performances from senior guards E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell pushed URI over the top, as Matthews hit for a game-high 24 points and Terrell added nine of his 14 in the second half.
“There was some sense of being invincible,” Hurley said. “That’s not going to work. Hopefully this helps us, going on the road playing the next two, because if we come out and play like that on Saturday we’ll lose.”
Back-to-back blowouts of Florida Gulf Coast and George Mason had the Rams (10-3, 2-0) feeling good, racing to the top of the league in scoring offense and jumping into the national top 20 in both offensive and defensive turnover percentage. Matthews looks to be at full strength after missing six games with a fractured left wrist.
“We’ve just got to stay confident and stay locked in,” Terrell said. “If we just defend at a high level, rebound and continue to share the ball how we’re doing it, I think we’ll be OK.”
Matthews missed the 72-67 loss to the Hawks in 2015-16 and was in the starting lineup for the 67-64 defeat against the Flyers in 2016-17, one in which the Rams matched a season-high with 18 turnovers. URI recovered to go 7-2 away from home in league play last year, matching the previous program record for Atlantic 10 road wins held by the 1987-88 team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
“You want to have a great season, you’ve got to go win on the road,” Hurley said. “GW has been good at home — good win over St. Joe’s the other day, good nonconference win over Temple.”
The Colonials (8-7, 1-1) are looking to join Nevada and Alabama among teams who have handed the Rams a road defeat this season. Senior guard Yuta Watanabe was selected to the conference’s preseason second team and all-defensive team at October’s media day and leads George Washington in both scoring and rebounding. He was one of six Colonials to score at least seven points in a 62-58 rally past the Rams at Smith Center in 2015-16.