Rhody stuns Hokies, advances to NIT’s Final Four

By Paul Kenyon Providence Journal Sports Writer

BLACKSBURG, Va. — If ever there was a University of Rhode Island basketball season that deserved to end under special circumstances, it is this one, especially after what the Rams accomplished Wednesday night. URI came into Cassell Coliseum, an arena in which Virginia Tech had compiled a 17-1 record this winter while competing in the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference, and stunned the Hokies, 79-72.

The game was special in itself in that the Rams won by rallying from 12 points down in the second half. Tech hit 24 of its first 34 field-goal attempts, but then only 2 of its last 20. Delroy James, Keith Cothran, Lamonte Ulmer, Stevie Mejia and Will Martell all made key plays as the Rams broke a 71-all tie and outscored the Hokies, 8-1, in the final 2:40.

Still, what made the performance doubly special is that it propelled URI into the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The Rams, now 26-9, will get to finish their season in the world’s greatest basketball arena. Oh, yes, their opponent just happens to be that other team that wears Keaney blue, the 2009 national champion North Carolina Tar Heels. None of the Rhody players has ever played on the Garden floor.

“Usually, we’re fans watching games here,” said senior Lamonte Ulmer. “Now, we’re going to be playing there.”

“It means a lot to be able to play in the mecca of basketball. It’s tremendous,” added fellow senior Keith Cothran, who also will end his career in the Garden.

“I’m greatly honored to be able to go down there and play,” Cothran added. “I know what it feels like. I got to go there and win (the NIT) when I was playing,” noted Rhody coach Jim Baron. “I’m just so happy for our players and for everyone involved with our program. Our kids showed a tremendous amount of willpower. This was a great win for our program.”

URI has not played in the Garden since it took part in the 1989 Holiday Festival. It is going to be tough for URI to top what it did in earning its berth in the NIT Final Four.

The teams went back and forth in a terrific first half that ended with Tech on top, 42-40. Tech, which had beaten North Carolina, Clemson and Wake Forest, among others, in its home arena, came out after the break and made its first seven shots. That made the Hokies 24-for-34 for the night, 70 percent.

Cheered on by a rollicking crowd of 7,055, the Hokies led, 60-48, with 14:30 left.

Led by its excellent backcourt of Malcolm Delaney (24 points) and Dorenzo Hudson (19), Tech seemed to have matters under control. But if some Hokies fans were ready to begin making plans to go to New York, URI had other ideas.

“We just look at our bench and see everybody pushing us. Everybody stuck together,” said Rhody forward Delroy James, who had another superb game with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. “We knew we could do it if we focused, if we buckled down.”

Amazingly, they did.

They ran off 13 straight points, capped by a dunk by Ulmer (13 points, 8 boards) off a feed from Stevie Mejia (6 assists, no turnovers), for a 61-60 lead. From there, it was a battle to the wire.

It was deadlocked at 71 as the clock went inside two minutes when Cothran made what turned out to be the game-winning hoop.

“I wanted to take it to the basket, but I couldn’t get there,” he said. “So I stepped back and made it.” His 15-footer put the Rams on top. It stayed that way until the final 15 seconds, when Ulmer, the other senior, scored the clincher. He put into practice instructions Baron had given him at the walkthrough earlier in the day.

“One of the things I told them is that in this game they’d have to use the rim. Go up and under,” Baron said.

“I went up and under. I thought I got fouled,” Ulmer said. His shot rolled out. But he bounced back up, got the rebound and put it in to make it 75-71. Late free throws by Mejia and Martell wrapped it up.

After its torrid start from the field, Tech finished at 48 percent for the game. It is done, and it is the Rams who are going to New York.

“Our focus,” said point guard Marquis Jones, “was to get to the NCAA Tournament. We weren’t happy we didn’t do that. But this is the next-best thing.”