Rams edge Harvard at buzzer
Guard buries last-second 3-pointer to lift URI
Late three-pointer seals home win for Rhody
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The new era of University of Rhode Island basketball has its first signature moment.
Fatts Russell hit a 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left to send the Rams past Harvard 76-74 in a Friday-night thriller at the Ryan Center.
URI had trailed for most of the final 20 minutes as the Ivy League-favorite Crimson erased a six-point halftime deficit with 58-percent second-half shooting. Junior Jeff Dowtin led the rally with a career-high 31 points, but it was Russell who played hero. In the midst of a rough shooting night – he was 1-of-8 from 3-point range before the dramatic shot – the sophomore guard pulled up on the left wing and buried what proved to be the game-winner.
Harvard had a look at a 3-pointer from Noah Kirkwood in the final seconds but URI’s Ryan Preston got a piece of the shot, and it fell to the floor as URI celebrated.
“I always have confidence, honestly,” Russell said. “I’ve been struggling these last two games with my shot, but I never put my head down. Coach [David Cox] has been great with telling me to keep shooting. He texted me after the Charleston game and told me he believed my next shot was going in. That goes a long way.”
Harvard had a look at a 3-pointer from Noah Kirkwood in the final seconds but URI’s Ryan Preston got a piece of the shot, and it fell harmlessly away as URI celebrated.
Russell’s shot capped one last comeback push by the Rams, who trailed 72-69 with 2:15 remaining. After the teams traded empty trips, Dowtin hit the first of two free throws to make it 72-70. He missed the second shot but teammate Tyrese Martin grabbed an offensive rebound, and Cyril Langevine snagged another when Martin’s putback fell off. The Rams pulled the ball back out, and Dowtin drilled a 3-pointer with 1:10 left to give URI a 73-72 lead, its first edge since the 5:37 mark.
Harvard’s Justin Bassey was fouled with 11 seconds left and made both free throws for a 74-73 lead. Russell took the inbounds pass under the basket and the ball never left his hands as he dribbled into the pull-up 3-pointer.
“I’ll tell you a little secret here. I did not draw that play up for Fatts, actually,” Cox said as Russell chuckled next to him. “Fatts was supposed to be one of the recipients of the next pass. But as we broke the huddle, Fatts whispered in my ear that he thought I had made the wrong decision with my choice. So he kind of took it upon himself, but that’s who Fatts is. And actually, I felt good when he whispered that in my ear because I knew he was going to step into it if he had a good look. Just knowing who he is - a winner, a champion - I knew he was going to make it.”
The Rams were coming off a rough shooting night in a loss at the College of Charleston Tuesday, in which they made just eight of 35 first-half shots. Friday, they had eight field goals on the board in less than eight minutes. After falling into an early 6-0 hole as Harvard’s Justin Bassey sank two 3-pointers, the Rams hit six of their first seven shots en route to a 16-10 lead.
Harvard continued to shoot well, hitting five of 11 3-pointers in the opening half and using an 8-0 run to take a 28-24 lead midway through the opening half. It was a 32-31 Crimson lead when URI surged. Dowtin’s first breakout led the bust, as he scored nine points to lead a 10-3 run. He converted a three-point play off a postup in the lane, buried a pull-up jumper, hit a runner from close range and drove down the left for a nifty scoop with one minute remaining. The last bucket put URI ahead 41-35, a lead that remained into halftime.
While Dowtin’s takeover was welcome, much of URI’s offensive success in came when the ball was moving. URI logged seven assists on 15 made baskets, matching their assist total from the entirety of Tuesday’s game in just the first half. The Rams shot 60 percent from the field before the break.