Game Summary:
After a blowout loss to their rival Umass last Saturday, the Rams came up just short in overtime against the George Washington Colonials (14-14,) moving to 8-20 on the year and 14th in the conference. The Rams exploded to start the game with a 10-0 run, only to prompt a 31-8 run from the Colonials. The first half featured Ishmael Leggett of the Rams and James Bishop of the Colonials taking off in scoring. The Rams went on a little run to bring it to single digits before the half, only to fall behind again in the second half as George Washington center Hunter Dean dominated the paint. However, despite a rough season, the Rams still had fight in them. They went on a 12-0 in the last five minutes of the game to take the lead by 2 in a crazy comeback. Brendan Adams’ layup for the Colonials tied things up at 71 with under 30 seconds left which sent the game to overtime. The Colonials essentially took off at the start of OT, and recorded three steals which led to some transition points and went on an 11-5 run. Washington held on to win the game 89-80.
A Back and Forth First Half:
The Rams opened up the game on a 10-0 run in the early stages. Rams guard Ishmael Leggett started the game with a straightaway three and the rams took charge on both sides of the ball. But the strong start soon faded, as the Colonials got it going with a 31-8 run for themselves with the Rams going on a cold streak for over five minutes in the stretch. The Rams clawed back into the game before the half making it single digits. Colonials center Hunter Dean led his team in scoring with 13 at the half, as he dominated the paint and glass throughout the entire game. The Rams trailed George Washington 39-31 at halftime as they were defeated in the turnover and rebound portion in the first half.
A Second Half Comeback:
The second half went back and forth again with Rhode Island and George Washington trading buckets. Leggett exploded from the field and scored 12 points within the first 8 minutes of the half. The Colonials however responded to URI’s big buckets with points of their own. Down 9 points with around 5 minutes to go, the comeback ignited. The Rams went on a massive 12-0 to take the lead 70-69 with under a minute to go. Leggett once again put the team on his back and had the go-ahead bucket with a jump shot as the Kingston crowd roared. Rams guard Sebastian Thomas sunk a free throw to put the Rams up by 2 with under 30 seconds remaining. The Colonials came out of a timeout on offense and drew up a play that ended in the hands of Brendan Adams who finished with a layup to tie the game at 71. The Rams had a chance to win in regulation as Ishmael Leggett missed from 3-point range as the buzzer sounded, and the Rams second to last home game was now in overtime. Head Coach Archie Miller wasn’t quite happy with that last shot selection. “It was a tie ball game, you go to the basket,” Miller said. “We want to get to the basket as much as possible, get down there, and produce a foul.”
Overtime:
George Washington took a small lead early on in overtime and then took over. They forced the Rams to commit three turnovers as James Bishop of the Colonials hit a monster three to get the run going. They went on an 11-5 run and went 7 of 8 from the floor in OT, and the Rams had no answer. They fell to the Colonials 89-80. This was a tough loss as the Rams are trying to get some positive outlook for next season as it looks like they’ll finish 2nd to last in their conference this year.
Rams head coach Archie Miller revealed the state of the team during the postgame press conference. “What we’re going through is not easy, but you have to be selfless, you have to continue to think about your teammates during this time.”
The Rams have three games remaining on their schedule with their next game at Fordham on Saturday.
