Dec. 30, 2006
Box Score
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Will Daniels scored 21 points, leading two other Rams in double-figures, as Rhode Island dropped an 80-69 decision at #9/10 Kansas tonight at Allen Fieldhouse.
Daniels scored 15 of his team-high 21 in the second half. He also added eight rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes of play.
The Jayhawks raced out to a 13-4 start, paced by some hot perimeter shooting. Rhody started off cold, connecting on just two of their 14 shots from the floor. But URI came back, cutting it to 17-14 after a Darrell Harris three with 9:21 to play in the first half.
But KU would respond with a 13-0 run over the next 8:12, capped by a Julian Wright fastbreak layup, taking its largest lead of the half at 16 points (30-14). Rhode Island would finish the final 1:37 of the frame strong, on a 8-0 push, capped by a Jimmy Baron trey as the buzzer sounded. The Rams trailed 30-22 at the break.
In the half, the Rams shot just 20.5% from the floor (8-for-39), but dominated the glass by a 32-20 margin.
Rhody connected on five of its first seven shots from the floor, but the Jayhawks were equally as hot, and began the half by outscoring the Rams, 13-7, to take a 43-29 lead with 16:33 left.
A Kahiem Seawright layup with 15:15 to go capped off an 8-2 run, and cut the KU lead to single digits, at 45-37. Kansas responded with another 6-0 run, before Keith Cothran's fast break layup ended the run and brought URI back within 12 (51-39) with 12:45 to go.
Kansas took its largest lead of the game - 17 points (60-43) - with nine minutes to play, but Daniels scored six straight points, capped by a traditional three-point play, and Rhode Island trailed by 11 points (60-49) with 8:18 to go. The Rams got within 10 points twice late, but could get no closer as KU pulled away down the stretch.
"I'm proud of the way we competed tonight. We came into one of the toughest places to play in the country and I thought our kids showed a lot of resilience and maturity." said head coach Jim Baron. "I'm proud of the way we stepped up and responded after a lackluster performance at Ohio."
Harris finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while Seawright had 11 points, five boards, four assists, and two blocks. Jimmy Baron added nine points, Parfait Bitee eight, and Keith Cothran six.
"We didn't play our best basketball, but I thought - as a team - we came together." Will Daniels said. "We missed a lot of shots early, but made up for it with good effort on the glass and on defense. We came up short, but it was a solid performance and a terrific experience. We'll learn from this and get better."
The Rams outrebounded the ninth-ranked Jayhawks, 43-42, and dished out 15 assists to 13 turnovers - including just three in the second half.
Rhode Island returns to action after the New Year on Jan. 3 when it opens Atlantic 10 play at home against LaSalle. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
Notes: Jimmy Baron missed his first two free throws of the season, snapping his streak of 51 consecutive makes. He is now 28-for-30, good for 93.3%...Keith Cothran followed up his seven steal performance vs. Ohio with three swipes tonight vs. the Jayhawks, one of which translated into a rim-rattling fastbreak dunk...The Rams fall to 1-4 on the road this season and 0-2 vs. nationally ranked opponents...For the fifth time this season, URI had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (15 asst./13 t.o./1.2:1 atr)...Kansas outscored the Rams in the paint by a narrow 34-30 margin...The 20 offensive rebounds tied a season-high (vs. Houston).
