DAYTON, Ohio — The beat goes on for the University of Rhode Island, this time at one of the toughest road environments the Atlantic 10 has to offer.
The Rams fought through some early bumps and eventually took command, with Dayton ultimately powerless to stop the runaway train atop the conference.
URI’s 88-74 victory at a soldout UD Arena was its eighth straight away from home in conference play, extending a program record. The Rams are on a 10-game winning streak for the first time in almost 70 years and have captured 15 consecutive games against league foes.
All of the game’s five lead changes and three ties occurred during the opening 20 minutes, with the Rams mounting a 14-5 run into the break to jump ahead for good. URI led by at least two possessions throughout the final 15:39, as most of the 13,350 patrons on hand for the nationally televised game filed out well before the final horn sounded.
“There are a lot of games where we’ve blown teams out,” URI guard Jared Terrell said. “I like the fact that we had to fight and scratch and claw in the first half just to see where our minds were at and just to see how we would respond.”
“We’re a much more composed team, a much more confident team,” URI coach Dan Hurley said. “We just tried to preach to them that it’s a long game.”
It was URI’s depth that did the damage as much as Terrell, who had 24 points, or E.C. Matthews, who had 17. Nicola Akele spelled the foul-plagued Rams’ frontcourt with a season-high nine points off the bench, all of those coming in the first half. Andre Berry and Cyril Langevine sat with two personals apiece while Akele went 4-for-5 from the field and added three of his four rebounds in 11 first-half minutes.
“The game time has not been there, but I keep fighting,” said Akele, who played single-digit minutes in five of his previous six contests. “We have a special team. I keep believing in myself, believing in the team and keep fighting.”
Fatts Russell came off the bench to score all 10 of his points in the second half, as the freshman guard caught fire quickly and produced a personal 10-5 run. It was his first time in double figures since scoring 12 points at Alabama on Dec. 6, a 68-62 loss.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can come off the bench and do a lot of great things,” Terrell said.
Then there was Jarvis Garrett. The senior point guard’s experience is invaluable to URI’s reserves, as evidenced by a second standout performance in his last three games. Garrett totaled 10 points in last Saturday’s 87-73 showdown with St. Bonaventure and was brilliant again a week later, totaling a season-high seven assists against just one turnover. The Rams were plus-19 in Garrett’s 20 minutes on the floor.
“I just feel like at this point, right now, that’s what they need me to do,” Garrett said. “So I’m willing to do it because I know for a fact that I’m still going to get in the game.”
“He’s been the key,” Hurley said. “If he would have gone sour coming off the bench and been frustrated, that would have had a negative effect on the team. Instead, he’s a weapon.”
URI (15-3, 7-0) got off to a choppy start against a Dayton team still smarting from an 81-65 loss at Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday. Josh Cunningham was hard at work early on his way to a career-high 32 points, but no other member of the Flyers (9-10, 3-4) managed more than five field-goal attempts. Matthews nailed a corner 3-pointer to highlight the game-changing spurt, passing Will Daniels for 10th on the Rams’ all-time scoring list.
“It takes a very good team — and a poised team — to win on the road,” Garrett said. “And I feel like we have that.”
URI’s last 10-game winning streak started in the 1948-49 season and continued into 1949-50. That was news to Hurley, who has demanded from his players the same laser focus he practices himself. The Rams visit New York to take on Fordham next, a matchup that only now will have URI’s full attention.
“We know the position we’re in,” Hurley said. “We know what our goals are. We’re just really locked in on that next game.”