Rhode Island Starters 
Thomas, House, Lawrence, Green, Brown

Fordham Starters 
Medor, Riley, Johnson III, Dean, Tsimbila

How it Happened
Fordham's Matt Zona scored on an offensive putback with two seconds left to lift Fordham to an 80-79 win over Rhode Island Wednesday night.

After rallying from a 15-point first-half deficit, URI (15-7, 4-6 A-10) led for the majority of the second half. Sebastian Thomas hit a pair of free throws to give Rhode Island a 75-70 lead with 1:56 to go. Fordham (11-12, 3-7 A-10) got a 3-pointer from Josh Rivera on the next possession to make it a two-point game, but Jaden House came back with a layup through contact to push the lead back to 77-73.

Jackie Johnson III (25 points) made a layup of his own to again make it a two-point game with 1:02 to go. After an empty possession for each team, Jamarques Lawrence was fouled for a 1-and-1 with 24 seconds left. He made both ends to make it a two-possession game, but Johnson III needed just eight seconds to hit a 3-pointer and close the gap to 79-78.

Thomas was fouled with eight seconds to go for another 1-and-1, but the first shot rimmed out, the first missed free throw for the team in the game. Fordham's Japhet Medor missed a driving layup, but Zona was able to get the putback for the winning basket.

A final desperation heave did not connect, and Fordham escaped with the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Point guard Sebastian Thomas led Rhode Island with 20 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
• He has scored in double figures in 30 straight games and now has 20 or more in 12 of his 20 games this season.
• Forward David Green had 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
• Forward David Fuchs scored a season-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He added eight rebounds.
• Guard Jaden House was the fourth URI player in double figures with 10 points, all in the second half. He also contributed three rebounds and two assists.
• After committing eight turnovers in the first half, URI had just three after the break.
• Rhode Island was 18-of-19 at the free throw line.
• Forward Tyonne Farrell returned to the lineup after missing five games with an injury.
• Fordham's trio of Jackie Johnson III (25), Josh Rivera (19) and Japhet Medor (17) combined for 61 of the team's 80 points.

Up Next
Rhode Island is back on the road to play at George Mason on Saturday, Feb. 8. Game time is 4 p.m. on ESPN+. It is the second meeting between the teams. URI beat the Patriots 62-59 on Jan. 4.