URI men's basketball defeated in Philly Classic Championship

12/02/08 - The University of Rhode Island men's basketball team reached the championship game of the 2008 Philly Hoop Group Classic, but came up short, falling to Villanova University 78-65.
Tuesday night at the Ryan Center the Rams blew out Hartford University 94-72 in a preliminary round match up of the Philly Classic.
Junior Keith Cothran led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the floor.
"My opinion he's the best slashing guard in the Atlantic 10, one of the best in the country," guard Jimmy Baron said. "For me to be alongside him, it helps both of us out. He's stepping, he's playing terrific."
Baron added 18 points hitting six three-pointers. Senior Kahiem Seawright finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Juniors Lamonte Ulmer and Delroy James scored 11 and 10, respectively, grabbing seven rebounds as well.
"Jimmy draws a lot of attention," Cothran said. "He makes it a lot easier for the other guys like myself, Kahiem, Delroy, and Marquis."
Hartford took an early 8-5 lead, but would not regain the lead for the rest of the way as the Rams took over. Rhody held the advantage on glass out rebounding the Hawks 42-30. The Rams shot 52.2 percent for the game on their way to 94-72 blow out victory. After the game, Jimmy Baron noted the difference on this years team compared to last year.
"I think to be honest with you the chemistry is a lot better," he said. "We enjoy being on the court together. Having good chemistry is [going to] lead to a better finish. We gotta keep developing that game by game, practice by practice and keep making small improvements."
The Rams headed to Philadelphia for a match up against Pennsylvania State University in the Championship Round of the Philly Classic.
Rhody held a nine-point lead with 7:02 remaining in the first half, but the Nittany Lions rallied late to cut the lead to 33-31 heading into the break.
The second half was a tight game as the Nittany Lions refused to go away. Cothran scored 13 of his total 18 points in the second half scoring 11 of the Rams first 16 points. Rhody extended its largest lead of the game after a 13-4 run to put them in front 60-50. Penn State battled its way back, keeping the game within reach, cutting the lead down to two points with just 21 seconds remaining in the game.
Sophomore Marquis Jones was fouled and converted 1-of-2 from the line to put URI up 73-70.
Penn State forward Jamelle Cornley made a lay-up on the other end to cut the lead down to one point with 13 seconds on the clock. Baron was fouled and converted both free throws to put the Rams up three. Penn State guard Stanley Pringle missed a three-pointer and Baron hit two more free throws to seal the 77-72 victory.
The Rams were able hit their free throws down the stretch shooting 11-of-15 from the line in the final 4:47 and shot 18-of-22 for the game. Rhody shot 7-of-15 from beyond the arc and 48.1 percent for the game.
Baron led the Rams with 20 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Seawright added 16 points and eight rebounds. Both were 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final 4:47 to help the Rams move on to the championship game against 22 Villanova.
The Wildcats came out strong to start the game opening an early nine-point lead on the Rams just five minutes into the action. Rhody would rally back to cut the lead to three, but Villanova held a 40-33 advantage at the break. Villanova opened up a 12-point lead with 14 minutes to play. URI cut the lead down to nine, but could not get any closer as the Wildcats took the Philly Classic title 78-65.
The Rams shot 41.5 percent for the game and committed 14 turnovers. Villa shot just 40.3 percent for the game including 2-of-15 from the perimeter, but out rebounded Rhody 40-43. Baron led all scorers with 23 points shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep. Cothran added 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Seawright grabbed 8 rebounds and tallied seven points.
Baron and Cothran were named to the all-tournament team for their play throughout the tournament. "When we play teams I don't know what they are gonna guard," Baron said. They can't guard both of us. We complement each other."
The Rams snapped their four -game winning streak with the loss and are now 5-2 heading into Wednesday night's game at Northeastern University.