Feb. 12, 2011

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KINGSTON, R.I. - Junior Jamal Wilson's put back as time expired propelled the Rhode Island men's basketball team (16-9; 7-4 Atlantic 10) to a thrilling 71-70 victory versus Charlotte in overtime Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center.

Wilson's game winner was his lone bucket of the afternoon.

Rhody overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to pickup its 10th win at home this season. URI has now posted 10 wins at home in eight of the last nine seasons.

Sophomore Akeem Richmond led Rhody with a game-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. Sophomore Nikola Malesevic also chipped in with 19 points.

URI's second-half rally marked the seventh time this season URI has rallied back to win after trailing at the half in Atlantic 10 play.

Charlotte opened up a 9-4 lead in the first six minutes of the game, but Rhody fought back with a 5-1 push to cut the 49er lead to one (10-9) at the 13:21 mark. Senior Delroy James scored all five points during the stretch.

The 49ers responded with a 13-4 run to go up 23-13 to take a 13-point lead with 5:26 to go until the break. Charlotte connected at 50 percent from the field in the first 15 minutes of the game (10-of-20).

Derrio Green gave Charlotte a 30-15 lead with 1:21 to go, but Richmond drilled a 3-pointer on the Rams' next offensive possession, which gave URI its first field goal since the 8:25 mark of the first half, making the score 30-18 with 1:07 to go.

Rhody cut the 49er lead to single digits as it outscored Charlotte 5-2 in the final minute, but still trailed 32-23 at half.

Malesevic led all first half URI scorers as he poured in nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. As a team, Rhody struggled from the floor as it connected on just 32 percent, while Charlotte hit at a 50 percent clip.

Charlotte continued its hot shooting in the second half as it connected on its first three shots opening up a 17-point lead (40-23) thanks to an 8-0 spurt.

The Rams began to make their move at the 14:47 mark of the second half as they went on a furious 13-0 run to cut the 49ers lead to three (42-39) with 12:35 remaining in the game. Richmond scored nine points during the stretch, connecting on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Rhody re-claimed the lead for the first time since the 18:15 mark of the first half thanks to a thunderous dunk by junior Orion Outerbridge. Outerbridge converted the free throw as he was fouled on the play, which made the count 51-48 with 8:33 remaining.

URI went on to extend its lead to four at 57-53, but Charlotte came right back to even the game at 57 apiece with 4:43 to go.

Senior Marquis Jones scored a layup to give Rhody a 61-57 lead with just under minutes to go. In the final four minutes, Charlotte outscored Rhody 7-3 to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime session, Rhody outscored Charlotte 7-6 to secure the win.

Rhody returns to action next Saturday as it welcomes Massachusetts to the Ryan Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.