2011 Rhode Island Rams Basketball: Rhode Island @ Duquesne

Rhode Island trailed by five with 3:15 remaining, but they scored the final six points to leave the A.J. Palumbo Center with a 77-76 victory. Marquis Jones provided the final two points on a layup with 9.3 seconds remaining as Rhode Island (17-10, 8-5) pulled to within a game of the Dukes for fourth place in the Atlantic 10. Nikola Malesevic led four URI starters in double figures with 16 points and Sean Johnson scored 18 off the bench to lead Duquesne (17-9, 9-4), who has dropped four of their last five after starting conference play 8-0. Despite being outclassed in a number of statistical categories the Rams found a way to win for the third time in the last four games.

Duquesne scored the first seven points of the game with a T.J. McConnell three being the final points of the run, but URI answered back with seven in a row to even the score. Rhode Island's run took fewer than two minutes with a Jones three with 15:21 left in the half tying the score. Over the next nine minutes neither team would lead by more than three points, with a Sean Johnson layup tying the game at 22 with 6:30 left in the half. That layup provided the first points of a 7-0 Duquesne run with a Johnson jumper capping the spurt. The Dukes would lead by as many as six before a Ben Eaves three gave the Rams a 32-31 lead with 2:14 remaining. Duquesne would close the half on an 8-2 run, taking a 39-34 lead into the locker room.

B.J. Monteiro shot kicked off the scoring in the second half, giving the Dukes their largest lead of the night at 41-34. Rhode Island would eventually tie the score at 44 on a pair of Jones free throws with 17:08 remaining, and just over a minute later the visitors took a 49-48 lead on a Delroy James basket. The next five minutes would be played within an 11-point range, with the Rams taking a 64-57 lead on a James hoop with 9:24 left. Eric Evans would answer with a three-point play to cut the URI lead to four, and a minute later a Johnson three-point play began a 10-2 Duquesne run resulting in a 70-68 lead for the Dukes with 5:41 remaining.

Two of Jamal Wilson's 14 points pulled the Rams even 33 seconds later, but the Dukes would then score six of the next seven points. A basket from Will Martell and a pair of James free throws cut the lead to one, and a missed Evans three-pointer gave the ball back to the Rams with a chance to win. Jones missed his first attempt but received a second chance when the Dukes knocked the ball out of bounds. Jones didn't fail to take advantage of the opportunity a second time, knocking down the game-winner. Next up for Rhode Island is a game against Fordham at the Izod Center on Saturday, and Duquesne visits Saint Louis the same day.

Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball Fans

Rhode Island Hangs on at Duquesne