Rams end losing streak
URI finally tops Friars at Ryan
KINGSTON - Since URI last defeated Providence College in 2009, all the way to today, Fatts Russell has gone from a 10year old elementary student to a college freshman. This time around, he was on the court for the Rams and that proved to be just the spark his team needed to get the Friar-shaped monkey off their back.
Russell tied a career high in points - set last time out against Brown - at 20 and
electrified the second-largest crowd in the history of the Ryan Center by going off to end the first half. Behind Russell’s game-high 20, URI broke a seven-game losing streak to PC by earning a 75-68 win.
URI’s defense helped them hang around prior to Russell’s heroics. They forced 14 first half turnovers and converted those steals into 19 points.
“The crowd helped them with the win,” PC head coach Ed Cooley said. “This was one of our worst games we’ve played offensively, and I think their defense had a lot to do with it. We turned the ball over 21 times. If you had told me we were going to shoot 55 percent for the game, we’re gonna hold them to 30-something percent in the second half, I would’ve told you we win by 10.”
“Until [Cyril Langevine’s] at full strength, we just don’t have a lot of rim protection,” Hurley said. “We’ve got to steal the ball. We have to deflect the ball and get runouts. Last year we were more of a shot-blocking team. We’re reinventing ourselves.”
The Rams tallied 12 steals in the rivalry win, their second-highest total on the season. Jared Terrell led the way with four, while Jeff Dowtin provided a trio of his own swipes.
The freshman Russell came off the bench to help URI overcome an atrocious 1-11 start from the field. Terrell was far from his normal self in his last try at the rivalry, starting slow and finishing 2-11 from the field, 0-5 from deep.
The Friars hopped out to a 16-9 lead while the Rams struggled to hit shots from anywhere on the court. That’s when Russell began work- ing his magic. Dowtin stole the ball and lofted it ahead, taken the rest of the way by the speedy Russell.
That fast break score got URI within three, and a 3-point make from Jarvis Garrett put them within a point. After trailing 23-20, a 15-0 URI run completely changed the makeup of the first half.
Points by Dowtin and Garrett gave the home team their first substantial lead of the evening, and momentum carried fully over when Cooley was called for a technical. Arguing an offensive foul call, Cooley’s tech led to Terrell hitting four-straight free throws - two off the tech, two off the original foul.
Russell capped off the run in what is quickly becoming his favorite part of games: the end of the first half. Much like against Brown, Russell caught fire before the break, hitting a 3-pointer and slamming home a fastbreak dunk. Another deep make by the freshman gave URI their largest lead at 13, and a wild reverse layup at the buzzer helped them stay ahead by double digits.
“[Coach Hurley] gives me the ball and sets a ball screen,” Russell described of his play at the end of first halves. “I just try and make a play to be honest.”
“[Fatts] put on a heck of a show,” Hurley said. “He’s not your typical freshman.”
The Friars were down in a similar hole during last year’s edition into the rivalry, and came surging back for a three-point win. Alpha Diallo came bouncing out of the lockerroom, looking to lead this year’s comeback effort. Scoring 13 of his 17 points in the final 20 minutes, Diallo beat the Rams down-low and in transition. Hot shooting from Garrett (3-5 from 3-point land, 15 points) allowed the Rams to keep the Friars at arms-length, but not for long.
“We knew, even though we had some separation at halftime, that they were going to make a run,” Hurley said.
In a eight-minute span, the Friars worked the deficit down to three points on three separate occasions, but missed opportunities, particularly at the free throw line, prevented PC from ever tying the game or taking a lead.
Kyron Cartwright went to the line for a 1and-1 with PC down three, and 3:11 remaining in the contest. The senior guard missed the front-end, part of a two-point, three turnover effort.
“The missed free throws - I didn’t realize we missed that many free throws - and they capitalized on theirs,” Cooley said.
“Jarvis - who two years ago was the best player on the court [against PC] - dominated his matchup today with Cartwright,” Hurley said. “That was huge.”
Cartwright was the driving force behind PC’s comeback win last season, hanging 19 points on Garrett. This year, the roles reversed, with Garrett getting the better of Cartwright, besting him in points, turnovers and assists.
“I felt things were going to be different today [against Cartwright] at the end of the first practice after last game,” Garrett said. “I knew things were going to be different. I wanted this matchup so bad. Honestly, he got me last year. He wasn’t going to get me [again] before I leave.”
With Cartwright clamped down, the Rams survived PC comeback attempt by drawing upon their experience from last March. Having already been in a position in NCAA tournament games against Creighton and Oregon where free throws were critical down the stretch, URI went 6-8 from the line in the last minute-plus of regulation against PC. URI outshot the Friars from the line, 20-of-23 to 10-of-21.
“We’ll move on,” Cooley said. “It’s not the end of the world, the bridges are not falling. It’s a good win for Rhode Island, really bad loss for Providence.”
“I could get a sense of the hate between the two fanbases,” Hurley added. “For the next calendar year, the Rhode Island fans can feel pretty good.”
Hurley and his staff can also share in the afterglow. The win on Saturday marks the first time Hurley has led URI past PC, and earns them a major notch on their belt in terms of NCAAat-large considerations. Couple that with having to beat the Friars without E.C. Matthews and Nikola Akele, not to mention a hobbled Langevine, the Rams walked away from the Ryan Center with their chests held out Saturday night.
“Breaking through the way we did last year - we felt we had a better team last year and we were crushed when we lost at [Providence],” Hurley said. “Even with all those guys out this year, there was no doubt in our minds that we were a better team than them and we were going to win today.”
“We all wanted to leave here having beaten them, knowing we lost to them three years in a row,” Garrett said. “E.C. lost to them four years in a row. I told E.C., ‘don’t worry about it, we’re going to win.’
“I could get a sense of the hate between the two fanbases. For the next calendar year, the Rhode Island fans can feel pretty good.” – URI coach Dan Hurley