James’ big night leads Rhody past Drexel

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

GoLocalProv Sports Team

The win streak at the Ryan Center is intact, but the Rams’ aura of invincibility – whatever’s left of it – has flown coop.

Playing its fourth game in six days, the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball looked sluggish Thursday in a 74-68 win over previously-unbeaten Drexel, extending their streak of wins against non-conference opponents at home to 29 games.

Delroy James did most of the work for the Rams (4-2), finishing with a game-high and season-high 33 points, which accounted for nearly half of Rhode Island’s output. The Rams’ bench, which has been a strong point all season, struggled as the trio of Ben Eaves, Daniel West and Nikola Malesevic combining for just 13 points. Eaves, who has been a serviceable swing-man thus far, picked up four fouls in 13 minutes and turned the ball over twice without hitting a field goal.

Aside from the lack of production from the bench, Rhode Island’s biggest problem Thursday was its inability to finish off the Dragons (2-1) when it had the chance. The Rams never led by more than five points in the first half and actually trailed by four before retaking the lead at the break. Just when it appeared they would pull away for good in the second half, Drexel clawed back, putting pressure on the Rams to hit their free throws in the final three and a half minutes.

Although they’re incredibly athletic this year and built to run the break, the Rams struggled in transition Thursday, particularly on the defensive end. Too many inbound passes from Drexel turned into easy baskets on the opposite end, and head coach Jim Baron’s strategy of switching between a full-court press and a normal half-court set on defense kept the Rams from settling into a rhythm.

Rhode Island led by 13 points – its largest lead of the game – with 6:41 to go following a 3-pointer by Akeem Richmond (5 points), but the Dragons climbed to within five with just under a minute remaining. The Rams finished 16-of-25 from the free-throw line, which went a long way in icing the win, while the Dragons shot just 11-of-24 from the stripe.

Will Martell chipped in with 10 points for Rhode Island while Marquis Jones finished with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals. The Rams will take the rest of the week off before returning to the Ryan Center on Saturday to host Davidson at 2 p.m.