URI’s Lamonte Ulmer, chasing down a loose ball against Fordham last year, has become a key player in the Rams’ full-court press this season.

The Journal / John Freidah

TOLEDO, Ohio — It can be a mistake to make a judgment about a style of play too quickly. Take, for instance, the situation with the pressing defense the URI basketball team is using this season.

Early on, it seemed as if extending the court was hurting the Rams as much as helping them. The early opponents, beginning with Brown, not only broke the press easily, they often scored easy baskets off it. It caused some to wonder, after a few games, why the Rams wanted to press.

Now, fast forward to tonight, when URI (10-4) will play its last nonconference game, visiting Toledo for a 7 o’clock contest at Savage Arena. The Rockets, who are struggling with six straight losses and a 2-11 record overall, have personnel issues. They would very much like to slow the game down as much as possible, as is evidenced by the fact that they’re averaging only 57 points per game.

But it is not likely URI will cooperate. The Rams will do everything they can to push the pace.

The biggest weapon in that respect? It’s the press, a press that has become more and more effective as the season has gone along. That especially has been the case in the last two games. In victories over Fairleigh Dickinson and Akron, URI has piled up 23 steals, the vast majority coming off the press. And that does not include other turnovers, like bad passes and even the inability to get over midcourt in 10 seconds, the press has caused.

Keith Dambrot, the Akron coach, spoke about what URI is doing after the Rams dismantled his team, 79-50, on Saturday. He said the press is the ideal way for URI to utilize its personnel, taking advantage of both the team speed and depth.

“That’s how they need to play,” Dambrot said of the Rhody pressure. “They’re doing the right thing.”

He had some candid comments about the Rams.

“They’re not that good in the halfcourt. We wanted to get in the halfcourt,” Dambrot said. “They took the coaching out of the game by running at us. [They made it] no longer a halfcourt game; it’s a fullcourt game, which is really smart.”

Dambrot said he tried to get his players to slow down, but URI would not allow it.

“We had a hard time understanding time and tempo,” Dambrot said.

The Rams have been doing that more often as the season has gone along. They have refined the press. They put their power forward — Delroy James is especially good at it — on the player trying to inbounds the ball. James is 6-foot-7, long and fast. He has been causing all kinds of havoc.

If they can get past James, opponents then have to deal with the Rhody wings, often Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer, both of whom also are very quick and excellent defensively. The press has become doubly effective. Now only has it directly accounted for points, but it also has worn down the opposition. Coach Jim Baron has used 9, 10 and even an 11-man rotation. He has kept the press on throughout. Teams have struggled to deal with it.

Toledo figures to be one of those teams. The Rockets are down to nine scholarship players, eight if senior guard Ridley Johnson, who has missed the last two games with a foot injury, is not ready to go tonight. In part because of the lack of depth, Toledo wants to do everything it can to slow down the game.

The Rockets, with their 2-11 record, are off to the worst start at the school in 54 years. New coach Gene Cross, a former player at Illinois, has had all kinds of problems since taking over for veteran coach Stan Joplin. There has been one bright moment, though, one that has gotten URI’s attention.

The only Division I victory Toledo has came over Massachusetts, the team that has given URI so many problems in recent seasons. Toledo beat the Minutemen, 57-56, at Savage Hall last month. The Rockets traditionally have been outstanding at home. Even with three losses this season, they are 57-11 in their last 68 games at Savage Arena.Tonight

URI at Toledo

7 p.m.

pkenyon@projo.com