March 1, 2009

Box Score

PITTSBURGH -- Kahiem Seawright had 21 points and Keith Cothran 20 as Rhode Island used a strong second half to hold off Duquesne, 73-71, on Sunday afternoon.

The Rams (22-8, 11-4 A-10) shot 66.7% (16-24) in the second half, outscoring the Dukes, 39-31 in the final 20 minutes of play. Seawright put Rhode Island ahead for good by making two free throws with 1:43 remaining, giving URI a 68-66 lead.

Jimmy Baron began the game with two 3-pointers on the first two Rhody possessions, as both teams started off hot offensively. Baron ended with 14 points, thanks to 4-of-8 shooting from the outside. He now has 341 career treys - one shy of tying the A-10 record of 342, held by Darnell Harris of La Salle.

Rhody led by as many as six points early on, but both teams traded baskets and the lead throughout the rest of the period. After a Cothran dunk off a miss made it 32-27 with 4:04 left in the half, the Dukes would close the first half on a 13-2 run. Duquesne took a 40-34 lead into the halftime break.

In the second half, Rhode Island cut it to two - at 45-43 with 17:44 left - after a Baron triple on a fastbreak. But the Dukes would push its lead back to six, with 15:22 left in regulation, at 53-47.

But a 13-1 push over the next 3:55, capped by a steal and layup by Marquis Jones gave URI a 60-54 edge with 11:33 to go. They led much of the rest of the way, until a Duquesne jumper with 2:01 left tied the contest up for the ninth time before Seawright's two free throws.

The senior forward shots 8-of-15 from the floor, grabbing six boards to go along with two assists and two blocks. Cothran has 13 of his 20 in the opening frame, connecting on 9-of-14 shots. He also had three rebounds and two assists. Jones added six points, four assists (zero turnovers) and two steals. Delroy James added six rebounds and three assists.

Rhode Island has won six straight and 10 of its last 11. URI closes out regular season play on Saturday, March 7, when it hosts Massachusetts at 2 p.m. at the Thomas M. Ryan Center. It will mark the final regular season appearance for Jimmy Baron, Jason Francis and Kahiem Seawright. The trio of seniors will be honored prior to the contest.