By BRANDEN MELLO

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KINGSTON \— Coming off a heartbreaking, one-point loss to Providence Saturday, URI head coach Jim Baron was worried about the way his team would respond in a half-filled Ryan Center against a New Hampshire team that had won two games in a row.

The Rams showed their coach how focused they were with one of the best defensive first halves they’ve played this season. The Rams held the Wildcats to 33.3 percent shooing in the first 20 minutes and allowed a season-low 23 first-half points to a New Hampshire team which beat Brown Saturday.

Keith Cothran led five Rams in double figures with 14 points and the Rams forced the Wildcats to commit 18 turnovers as they improved to 7-3 with an 88-56 non-conference victory

“No question, there was no question,” URI head coach Jim Baron said about his concerns after the loss to PC. “We have some inexperience. They came in winning two games in a row and we came in after winning one and losing one. You don’t know how you’re going to respond until you play our game. 

“We really forced the tempo and got them to turn the ball over. We rebounded the basketball and shared the basketball.”

After using the same starting lineup for the first nine games of the season, Baron elected to start senior Jason Francis in favor of Delroy James at the power forward position. Francis provided needed bulk against UNH’s Dane Diliegro, as the Ram finished the game with two points and three rebounds.

James, playing the game as a sixth-man, still played 18 minutes and contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jimmy Baron also scored 11 points and made his only 3-pointer, while Lamonte Ulmer and Kahiem Seawright scored 10 apiece.

“Everything’s the same,” James said about starting or sitting. “Rebound and go. Once you get the rebound you want to push the ball and keep it going.”

The Rams jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first half, but UNH countered with a 7-0 run to take their only lead of the game. The run was punctuated by a Tyrece Gibbs’ 3-pointer. The Wildcats attempted 23 3-pointers, but URI’s perimeter defense held the Wildcats to 26.1 percent shooting from behind the arc.

Cothran, who admitted he struggled in the loss to PC, continued to struggle in the first half, but one play changed the game for the junior swingman from New Haven, Conn. With the Rams already up 16-10, Cothran beat his man on the right side and violently slammed the ball into the hoop to earn his first points of the game.

“That (dunk) got me going and it got the guys going, too,” Cothran said. “I was a little sluggish in the first couple of minutes so it kind of got me fired up. I definitely needed this game after the PC game because I struggled down there. Everybody did a good job.”

Using a full-court press headed by point guard Marquis Jones, the Rams forced 11 turnovers in the first half and converted those mistakes into 13 points. Coming into the game, the Rams’ best defensive effort in the first half was the 30 points Monmouth scored at the Ryan Center. The Rams gave up an average of 35.7 points in the first half through their first nine games.

“We don’t really need to talk about it, we just have to do it,” Baron said of the defense. “We have to pressure the ball and force the issue. We’ve played, it’s just continued to be focused. Guys have to be ready to defend and be ready to rebound.”

Alvin Abreau led the Wildcats with 13 points off the bench, while Gibbs, who made three of his seven 3-pointers, scored 12 points, but he also committed four turnovers. At times, the Wildcats were their own worst enemies thanks to four missed dunks and 12 missed free throws.

Bill Herrion, the Wildcats’ fourth-year head coach, gave the Rams credit and said this year’s team is even better than the one that beat UNH 87-76 last season at the Ryan Center.

“They are really good, we played down here last year, they’re a much better team than a year ago, I think,” Herrion said. “(They’re) much more athletic, much more aggressive defensively. Their press gave us a lot trouble early in the game (and) they throw a lot of bodies at you.”

URI jumped out to a 23-point lead early in the second half thanks to a 9-0 run to start the half. The large lead gave numerous bench players a chance to play in the second half and showed Baron they deserve more minutes. Jamal Wilson played 12 minutes and pulled down six rebounds, while freshman Orion Outerbridge made both of his shots and scored a career-high five points 

“We have four guys from Rhode Island, that’s the most I’ve ever had,” Baron said about Jimmy Baron, Jake Grimes, Mike Harris and Olawale Alesh. “Those guys came in and gave us some great energy, the walks-ons. Outerbridge has a live body and he can make some nice plays out there. We’re going to need everybody.”