Rhode Island 76

Fordham 68

Youth and immaturity bit Fordham again last night in a sloppy, 76-68 loss to Rhode Island that included 58 fouls and 14 free-throw misses by the Rams.

A somber Glen Batemon kept his chin on his chest for most of the postgame press conference, realizing that the Rams’ latest loss was of his doing.

After the 6-11, 340-pound sophomore picked up his third and fourth foul within the first two minutes of the second half that put him on the bench, Rhode Island (12-5, 4-2 Atlantic 10) went on an offensive rebounding, inside-shooting spree.

“The guy on my left is a very important player for us,” said Fordham coach Bob Hill, whose team fell to 2-16, 1-6 in the A-10. “We need him on the floor.”

Still, the two quick fouls weren’t the most heinous of Batemon’s crimes. With 3:06 left and Fordham down 62-61, Batemon was called for a unsportsmanlike technical foul. That was his fifth and final infraction, and URI outscored Fordham 14-7 from that point.

“I said something about a Rhode Island player who elbowed me in the head,” said Batemon, who finished with 13 points and three rebounds. “I got real angry, but I should have kept my mouth shut and listened to my coach.”