Rhode Island Basketball: Rhody Falls to Manhattan in Secret Scrimmage
Or is it “secret” scrimmage?
Rhody hoops played their first of two so-called secret scrimmages yesterday as they continue to prep for the 2014-15 season. The Rams faced off against the Manhattan Jaspers, and word started to trickle out today regarding the results of the closed event. Here’s a little recap, courtesy of Twitter.
Told that Manhattan got the best of URI in secret scrimmage. Ashton Pankey was standout and Emmy Andujar went for 17 and 6. Played PG.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) November 3, 2014
EC Matthews and Hassan Martin both struggled in the scrimmage for Rhode Island. Jordan Hare and Biruta played well for Rams.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) November 3, 2014
Oh.
Well as we speculated on Twitter, this information most likely came from a Manhattan source. The reasoning behind that thinking is this: do you think Rhody would announce the struggles of E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin? Probably not. So either URI is planting seeds to start hustling some teams (“Jeez, yeah, Matthews isn’t very good. You probably don’t need to guard him much.”) or that was the report from someone close to the Jaspers.
So what about people close to the Rams? As usual, Chris DiSano and Bill Koch have the scoop.
Manhattan downed #URI is ‘secret’ scrimmage held Sunday. #Rams forced more than 20 turnovers, held Jaspers to under 37 percent shooting.
— Bill Koch (@BillKoch25) November 3, 2014
Also learned that Rams forced 22 TOs in scrimmage (positive for attacking brand they want to play) and had 42 points in paint.
— Chris DiSano (@CDiSano44) November 3, 2014
Hearing URI win battle of boards (about +10 overall) in scrimmage with Manhattan. Also won offensive glass battle by about a half dozen.
— Chris DiSano (@CDiSano44) November 3, 2014
Fouling was a problem for #URI. Manhattan shot 51 free throws — 31 in the second half alone. #Rams
— Bill Koch (@BillKoch25) November 3, 2014
So despite the loss, there’s a lot to like here. It sounds like Rhody dominated both defensively and in the paint. They scored inside, controlled the glass, forced turnovers, and held Manhattan to a relatively low shooting percentage. Wait – how did they lose again?
Ah yes, the fouls. Who knows who refs these games (probably a *ahem* “secret”), but that tidbit is a little concerning. Way more concerning that Matthews or Martin not playing well. Just a hunch: those two guys will be fine.
As for the foul trouble, there’s still some time to sort that all out. Plus, let’s wait and see if it actually happens in a real game before putting any stock into it. This was essentially a joint practice, after all. The fact that no one was injured is perhaps the best news to come across the Rhody Twitter feed.
As mentioned this was the first of two secret scrimmages for the Rams. They’ll play their second one this coming Saturday at Harvard, which should provide yet another solid test. Tip-off is set for secret o’clock.
