Jan. 7, 2007
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
KINGSTON, R.I. -- Jimmy Baron's running layup, high off the glass, with 1.5 seconds left helped lift Rhode Island to a 75-74 victory over Dayton at the Ryan Center this afternoon. Baron finished the game with eight points.
"I saw the Dayton defenders, so I jumped to the side of them." the sophomore guard said. "We ran a play to get me to the basket and the middle just opened up. My father preaches to me and the team that we need to make tough shots."
Rhody trailed by four - 74-70 - with 2:26 to play, after Dayton's Monty Scott drained a three. The Rams cut it to one after a Joe Mbang trey with 48 seconds left on the clock.
On the ensuing possession, the Flyers' Brian Roberts missed a jumper, but Kurt Huelsman was able to grab the offensive board. He got tied up with URI's Darrell Harris, but Dayton retained possession with 12 seconds left.
The Ram defense did a good job denying the inbounds, as Dayton was forced to call two timeouts. When they did get the ball in, UD's Charles Little was fouled and missed the front end of a 1-and-1, which set up the final gamewinning drive for Rhode Island.
"You can never say never in a game like this, down the stretch they hit big shots, we hit big shots." head coach Jim Baron commented. "Both teams matched each other with big plays. We were fortunate to come out today with the win - it was a great and total team effort."
Both teams traded baskets to start the first half, before Dayton went on an 8-0 run to take an 18-10 lead with 13:02 left. But the Rams would respond, with a 12-1 run over the next 4:16, capped by a traditional three-point play by Lamonte Ulmer. Rhody would lead 22-20 with 8:46 to go. The Rams and Flyers closed the half with several more ties and lead changes, with Dayton taking a 41-40 lead into the locker room at the break.
"Against La Salle, we had to hold on for a win, today we were the team who had to make the comeback." the URI head coach said. "A big part of that was the contributions off our bench. Keith Cothran, Lamonte Ulmer, Joe Mbang, and Terence Grier all gave us a spark. We're going to need that throughout the rest of the conference schedule."
A three-pointer by Will Daniels gave Rhode Island a 49-45 lead in the second half, as Rhode Island began the second half on a 9-4 push. URI extended its lead to six, at 61-55, after Baron drilled a trey with just under 9:00 left in regulation. But Dayton would battle back.
The Flyers' went on a 6-1 run, capped by a three from Andres Sandoval, as UD took a 62-61 lead with 7:11 left. Down the stretch, there were two ties and five lead changes - the final and deciding one coming on the Baron finger roll.
"I think our defense in the second half was much better." Baron said of his team. "And a big part of that this afternoon was Parfait Bitee. He played great defense on Brian Roberts, who is one of the best players in this league, especially on that last play on their end. He did a great job denying him the ball."
Will Daniels led the Rams with 19 points - 14 coming in the second frame - while Joe Mbang added 14 and Parfait Bitee 11. Kahiem Seawright led the squad with six rebounds, to go along with eight points. Bitee and Keith Cothran each tallied five assists.
"My shots weren't falling for me in the first half." Daniels said. "(Dayton's) Monty Scott did a good job defending me. But I tried to do whatever I could to help the team by making good passes, playing defense."
The Rams return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 10 when they travel to Saint Louis to face the Billikens in an Atlantic 10 matchup at the Scottstrade Center. This and every Rams game will be broadcast live on WHJJ 920 am and 99.3 The Bridge FM. The audio feed will also be live on the internet via Yahoo! Sports. Steve McDonald and URI Hall of Famer Don Kaull will call all the action for the Rhode Island.
Notes: Joe Mbang snapped an 0-for-10 slump from the perimeter this afternoon, connecting on 4-of-7 from the outside. His three with 48 seconds left helped key the Rhody comeback...Will Daniels, third in the A-10 in field goal percentage, struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting just 2-for-7. He was 4-for-7 in the second half...Parfait Bitee and Keith Cothran saw much of the point guard duties on the afternoon, and combined for 10 assists and just one turnover...The Rams had 17 assists on their 28 field goals...Rhode Island is 2-0 in the A-10 for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
