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NIT Quarterfinals Recap - Rhode Island vs Virginia Tech(2) Rhode Island 79, (1) Virginia Tech 72
In a fast-paced and entertaining NIT quarterfinal game, Rhode Island got 18 points from Delroy James to get past Virginia Tech 79-72. The Virginia Tech students have embraced the NIT more and more with each of the three home games the Hokies have played in this tournament. It reached a crescendo tonight as the football team’s iconic theme song “Enter Sandman” by Metallica thundered through the speakers just before the opening tip, with the student body bouncing up and down in the stands. It didn't matter in the end. The Hokies fed off of their fans’ enthusiasm for much of the game. Tech opened up a 10-point lead by tearing off an 16-8 run early in the second half but the Rams did not lose control. They responded by scoring 13 straight points and all of a sudden, a 60-48 deficit turned into a 61-60 lead on a dunk by Lamonte Ulmer with 11:05 to play. The game went back and forth after that but the Hokies sunk into a dreadful shooting slump, going 1-of-16 from the field at one point. Tech scored just two baskets in the last 16 minutes of play. Tech was able to hang in the game thanks to some Malcolm Delaney free throws but the Rams went ahead to stay at 73-71 with two minutes left on Keith Coltran’s jump shot. Delaney missed a wide-open jump shot on Tech’s ensuing possession, and at the other end, Ulmer followed his own miss with the shot clock running down and delivered a layup with 10 seconds left to clinch it for Rhode Island. James pulled down six rebounds and got four blocks in addition to his 18 points. For Tech, Delaney scored 24 points while Hudson posted 19.
Virginia Tech had a 42-40 lead at halftime. The Rams had the upper hand in the early going, taking a 17-11 lead thanks largely to the Hokies' five turnovers in the first seven minutes of play. Then Delaney swished a three-pointer, Hudson hit a three-ball on Tech’s ensuing possession, and Delaney followed suit once more from long distance. The Hokies converted back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers, and all of a sudden, Tech had a 22-17 lead. Both teams stepped it up to a frantic pace that led to a lot of action but, thanks to rushed shots and sloppy ball handling, little scoring. The scoring picked up as time wound down in the half. Tech went on a run to take a six-point lead but Rhode Island came right back. URI's Orion Outerbridge came off of the bench to score six points, the last of which came on a jumper from the top of the key just inside the three-point line to tie the game at 38-38. It looked like Tech would go into the locker room with a four-point lead, but URI's Jamal Wilson made a nice lob on an out-of-bounds play with 0.7 seconds left, and Delroy James made a short jumper to make it a two-point game, 42-40. Both teams shot well in the first half. The Hokies hit a smoking 63 % (17-of-27) of their shots, while the Rams were 52 % (17-of-32) from the field. The sloppy ballhandling was reflected in Tech’s total of 14 turnovers. Next: Rhode Island moves on to the NIT semifinals next Tuesday, March 30, in New York's Madison Square Garden. The Rams will take on North Carolina in the Big Apple on ESPN2.
By: Rich Tandler |