Rhode Island Starters
Cochran, Corey, Hinton, Itejere, Tripp

Saint Joseph's Starters
Ajogbor, Haskins, Glover-Toscano, Simpson, Williford

How it Happened
Rhode Island's second half surge was cut short leading to a 61-55 loss to Saint Joseph's on Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center. 

Trailing by as many as 13 points with 14 minutes remaining in the second half, Rhode Island (15-14, 6-10) cut the deficit to a one point before the Hawks (19-10, 11-5) scored the final five points of the game to secure the victory. 

After holding St. Joe's without a bucket for five minutes, the Rams narrowed the deficit to six points down the stretch. Jahmere Tripp hit a 3-pointer with five minutes remaining to make it a one score game at 54-51. After a Hawks bucket, Tyler Cochran hits two free throws to make it a 56-55 game. From there, St. Joe's responded with a 3-pointer from Jaden Glover-Toscano to give the Hawks a four-game lead, followed by a Justice Ajogbor dunk on the next possession to ice the 61-55 Hawks win.

The game started with a 9-2 Rhode Island run capped off by a Jonah Hinter paint jumper. The run was anchored by the Rams defense. Rhode Island held St. Joe's to no made field goals in the open six minutes of the game. The Hawks responded to their slow start with a 14-2 run to take a 16-11. That run helped the Hawks regained control of the half as Rhode Island struggled to hit from the field. On the final Rhode Island possession of the half, Jonah Hinton buried a 3-pointer that cut the Hawks lead to 30-27 at the break. 

St. Joe's controlled a majority of the second half until Rhode Island settled in. Rhode Island never led in the second half. An Alex Crawford layup with four minutes left was the Rams final made field goal of the game.  

Inside the Box Score

• Rhode Island held Saint Joseph's to one 3-pointer (1-of-14) in the first half.
• Tyler Cochran had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds and added three assists and one steal.
• It was Cochran's third double-double on the season and first since Feb. 7 against Richmond where he totaled 34 points and 10 rebounds. 
• Cochran's 15 rebounds is a new career-high, breaking his previous mark of 13 from 2021.
• Alex Crawford added 12 points, five rebounds, and one assist off the bench.
• Jahmere Tripp contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals.
• Keeyan Itejere added 10 points, four rebounds, and two blocks.
• Myles Corey contributed four points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

Up Next
Rhode Island hosts Duquesne on Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. The game is available on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.