College hoop
Rams extend winning run by holding off Explorers
Rams hang on against La Salle to extend their winning streak to four games.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The win streak is the longest of the season for the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team – even as the latest victory was a little harder to come by than expected.
La Salle erased a 14-point second-half deficit before the Rams did enough down the stretch for a 66-63 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center, continuing a perfect ride since a loss to Richmond in their Atlantic 10 opener.
“These guys showed tremendous poise and resiliency down the stretch today, as La Salle came back and actually took a lead,” URI head coach David Cox said. “They made the right plays down the stretch and allowed us to get out of here with a huge victory.”
The Rams held La Salle to five points on two field goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half and shook off a cold spell of their own to build a 52-38 victory.
Out of the brutal start, the Explorers suddenly found their footing and then some with a 17-2 run that gave them a 55-54 lead with 4:44 remaining.
After the teams traded the lead, URI scored six straight points on two Jermaine Harris free throws, a Tyrese Martin jumper off an offensive rebound and two Fatts Russell free throws. A pair of defensive stops in a three-point game allowed URI to lock up the win. Jeff Dowtin stole the ball in the lane on the first trip before Russell forced a contested jumper on the next.
“I thought the guys were sound for the most part,” Cox said. “Down the stretch, staying in front of the guy, staying in front of the ball – Jeff’s play was tremendous. He not only stayed in front of the guy, he took the ball from him. We did a lot of switching. They played so small.”
Dowtin and Russell each hit a pair of free throws in the final 10 seconds, helping URI survive a final push by La Salle. Fouled shooting a 3 with four seconds left, Isaiah Deas made the first two free throws and intentionally missed the third to set up a potential game-tying 3. Ed Croswell grabbed the rebound for La Salle and went up for two instead of kicking it out, making it a onepoint game. After two Russell free throws, a last-second inbounds pass was knocked away by the Rams.
The finish was an even wilder ride than Wednesday’s win over St. Joseph’s. That one required a second-half comeback but was smoother in the final minutes. Together, the wins over two teams with one combined A-10 win, seem to be viewed - at least in the immediate aftermath - through a survive-and-advance lens for the Rams.
“I know a lot of people watch these games and say, ‘Hey, this is La Salle. Hey, this is St. Joe’s,’” Cox said. “But they’re Division I players. They’re very good players and they’ve very well-coached. And styles make games. Just like in boxing matches, where styles make fights, styles make games in basketball, as well. You’ve got to adapt on the fly to a lot of these styles. Not making any excuses, but we had a two-day prep. I thought our guys did a tremendous job of locking in. T.J. Buchanan did a great job preparing them with the scout, and our guys locked in on their tendencies as best they could.”
URI didn’t put a player into double figures until the 2:21 mark of the second half,
Photo by Jerry Silberman a product of solid balance and the game’s low-scoring nature. Russell finished with 13, Dowtin had 10 and Antwan Walker and Mekhi Long both scored nine off the bench.
“That just goes to show how much we can play together and feed off one another,” Dowtin said. “A lot of us didn’t play very well today, but we just stayed at it, stayed consistent, trusted in one another and just grinded out a win.”
At 10-6 and 1-3 in the A-10, the Explorers have flashed improvement under second-year head coach Ashley Howard, and they blitzed the Rams early in the first half, making seven of their first nine shots, including three 3-pointers. Rhody had gotten off to a fast start of its own, jumping to a 7-0 lead, before La Salle’s push flipped the scoreboard.
URI fell behind by six amid the flurry, but withstood it, ramping up its defensive intensity and waiting for the inevitable regression. La Salle made six of 16 from the field over the rest of the opening 20 minutes and URI gradually gained control. A layup by Cyril Langevine gave them their first lead since the opening minutes and a driving scoop by Dowtin made it 25-21.
La Salle came back with a 7-0 run but a Fatts Russell 3-pointer started a matching 7-0 surge by the Rams. They remained in front into halftime, carrying a 39-33 lead to the locker room.
A grinding start to the second half saw the teams make just one of their first 10 combined attempts. URI’s first field goal didn’t come for almost seven minutes, but their lead had grown from halftime in that span thanks to three free throws and steady defense. The Explorers had two points in the first 7:47 of the second half.
Martin’s layup with 13:07 left gave URI its first bucket. Walker had six points and Martin added two more in an 8-0 run that gave URI a 52-38 lead. That’s when the Explorers made their move and set the stage for URI’s white-knuckle ride to the buzzer. Deas led all scorers with 19 points.
“I think Ashley does a great job with those guys,” Cox said. “They take on his personality. They never gave in. We knew that coming in - that this was going to be a war, as are all the games in conference play. Fortunate to come out with the victory today.”
The win keeps URI on track for a showdown Wednesday with Duquesne, which off to a 5-0 start in league play.