Musketeers Starting to Adjust After Adversity
KINGSTON, R.I. – Defense was the name of the game for Rhode Island in their 85-76 loss to Xavier on Saturday night.
With their 76 points, the Rams shot over 44 percent from the field and had 15 assists against nine turnovers, numbers that would be good enough to win on most nights. But they allowed the Musketeers to go 7-14 on three-pointers and shoot over 53 percent from the field in the first half as they built a 38-26 lead. Then in the second half, as they tried to build momentum on several occasions, they couldn’t make a key defensive stop to keep a run going. The Musketeers shot 50 percent and made 21 of 25 free throws to hang on for the win.
“I was real disappointed with how we defended in the first half,” said Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron, who added that fatigue seemed to be a factor. Jon Clark didn’t practice on Friday with the flu, and Tyrese Sullivan could only play one minute. Starting in place of Clark, who played just three minutes, J.R. Moore had no points and no rebounds in 18 minutes.
Dawan Robinson led the Rams with 21 points and eight assists. He made several plays late in the game when the Rams made a run to cut a 16-point lead down as low as four with a 17-5 run. The Musketeers made eight of ten free throws in the final 64 seconds to seal the win.
The Rams started strong in Atlantic 10 play with a 5-1 mark, but finish February with a 1-7 record and are now 12-13 overall. Only the 73-62 loss at St. Louis on Wednesday was by double digits, but the Rams need to win the close games.
Xavier is now 8-6 in Atlantic 10 play and improved to 17-8 overall. The Musketeers haven’t had an easy ride of late, losing Brian Thornton to a season-ending injury two weeks ago and booting talented but troubled senior point guard Dedrick Finn from the team earlier this week. They also had a stretch where they lost four of five after winning their first four Atlantic 10 games.
The Musketeers got 20 points and five assists from Stanley Burrell and 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from Justin Doellman to lead five players who scored in double figures. With Finn out, Doellman’s abilities with the ball clearly become more important, and he made several plays in breaking the press or in the halfcourt that led to baskets.
“We have some guys on our team really playing at a high level – (Josh) Duncan, Doellman and (Justin) Cage in particular,” said Xavier head coach Sean Miller. “I think those three guys have really stepped up their game, and it’s made us a better team.”
They are all stepping up at a time the Musketeers have needed it. This is a team that many held in high regard during non-conference play and during their first four Atlantic 10 wins. Now they look to be rounding into form as the Atlantic 10 Tournament approaches, and it will be held right in their backyard.
“Our goal is just to be at our very best – be that team that’s hard to guard, be that team that really can put it all together in that four-day period of time when the conference tournament comes to town,” Miller said.
Prior to the game, a ceremony was held to honor Brian Jackson, a URI alum and Texas Policeman who died in the line of duty on November 13, 2005. Baron, who was given a Dallas Police Department medallion by Jackson’s father, said it was a very touching ceremony for him.
Other Notable Games
Georgetown 68, Syracuse 53: The struggles continue for the Orange, as the Hoyas won going away with a strong second half. Georgetown snaps a five-game losing streak against Syracuse with this win.
Massachusetts 66, Dayton 47: The Minutemen not only bounce back solidly from Wednesday night’s tough loss to Charlotte, but also win on the day they dedicate the court at the Mullins Center to the late Jack Leaman.
George Mason 95, James Madison 68: The Patriots clinch at least a tie for the regular season title in the Colonial with this win. Lamar Butler comes through in a big way with a season-high 27 points.
Georgia Tech 76, Wake Forest 61: Two struggling teams, one comes away a winner. As has been the case for a lot of the season, the Demon Deacons had little help for Eric Williams, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds in defeat. Even Justin Gray struggled, going 5-18 from the field and 2-11 on three-pointers, with four turnovers.
Arkansas 73, Tennessee 69: If there were any doubts left about the Razorbacks’ NCAA hopes, this took care of them. Arkansas will be in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State 64, Michigan 54: The Wolverines’ slide continues, one that coincided with their recent appearance in the Top 25. They have now lost five of seven, finishing February with a 3-5 record.
Baylor 91, Iowa State 73: Iowa State’s disappointing season continues, and Wayne Morgan’s tenure in Ames inches closer to completion.
West Virginia 68, Louisville 64: Louisville’s Big East Tournament hopes took a hit, as they had a chance with this one. They are in a four-way tie for tenth place at 5-9 after this loss.
Southern Illinois 46, Northern Iowa 45: Can you imagine that the Panthers are going to be the fifth seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament? Believe it. They slumped down the stretch, ending with this loss, while the Salukis got another win when they needed it and lock up the No. 2 seed.
Clemson 90, Virginia 64: Four days after handing it to Boston College, Virginia lays an egg on the road. They scored 64 points in each game with Clemson this season; the first time it was enough, this time it wasn’t even close.
UNC-Wilmington 68, Georgia State 56: The Seahawks take the top seed in next weekend’s CAA Tournament with this win. It finishes a job well done by head coach Brad Brownell and his senior-laden team, who was picked fifth in the preseason poll.
Duke 74, Temple 66: J.J. Redick becomes the ACC’s all-time leading scorer, while Temple misses a chance at a signature win.
DePaul 67, Seton Hall 64: The Blue Demons deal a blow to Seton Hall’s NCAA hopes, although the Pirates appear safe barring a collapse. With this win, DePaul also stays alive to make the Big East Tournament.
LSU 71, Kentucky 67: The Wildcats should be in the NCAA Tournament with eight SEC wins, but this game would have helped seeding. They couldn’t handle Glen Davis (28 points, 15 rebounds), and unless they get going next week, will be a low seed in the tournament.
Boston College 74, North Carolina State 72 (2 OT): An important win for the Eagles, but one they almost didn’t get. This was pure survival: they had several chances in both overtime periods to make it a two-possession game, but kept shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers. Sean Williams had a big game when they needed it, coming up with nine blocked shots, several in clutch situations in both overtime periods.
Arizona 68, Arizona State 47: It’s far from a quality win, but the Wildcats needed this one to keep any at-large hopes alive. Had they lost, they might need to win the Pac-10 Tournament to get in.
Hofstra 70, Drexel 68: The Pride locked up third place in the Colonial with this win, but also made the tie-breaker for the top spot easy. Had they lost, they would have been tied with Old Dominion for third (they would get the third seed in the upcoming tournament via their two wins over ODU), but the tie-breaker for the top seed would have been the RPI provided by Collegiate Basketball News on Sunday morning. Thank goodness it didn’t come down to that.
Detroit 73, Butler 71: The Titans play spoiler in a big way, as this gives Wisconsin-Milwaukee the outright regular season title in the Horizon League. Meanwhile, the Titans finish in a five-way tie for third at 8-8.
Illinois 71, Iowa 58: The Illini pull into a tie for second as they hand the Hawkeyes their second straight loss.
Wichita State 64, Illinois State 57: The Shockers lock up the top seed for the MVC Tournament with this win.
Stanford 39, Washington State 37: The lowest-scoring Pac-10 game in 22 years won’t do much for Stanford’s NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.
Winthrop 56, Birmingham Southern 43: The Eagles once looked like prohibitive favorites to win the Big South, but needed this win on the road to hang on for the top spot.
Missouri State 60, Creighton 54: The Bears get the third seed for the MVC Tournament, and they do so with some momentum as it’s their fifth straight win.
Texas 80, Kansas 55: A big win for two reasons. One, the Longhorns re-assert themselves as the team to beat in the Big 12, and two, it brings the young and surging Jayhawks back down to earth for a moment.
