Dayton stands in the way of a first for URI Rams
Friday marks the rare occasion where Dan Hurley will ask his players to be a little selfish.
A share of the first Atlantic 10 regular-season title in program history isn?t enough for the University of Rhode Island coach. The Rams want the top spot and the corresponding accolades all to themselves, with their first chance to handle matters coming against Dayton.
The Ryan Center is expecting a sellout crowd Friday night for No. 18 URI, who can lock Davidson and St. Bonaventure behind them for good with one more victory. Wednesday wins by the Wildcats and Bonnies kept them in the picture for another couple of days, but the Rams can finish things off by wrapping up a season sweep of the Flyers.
?This is a group that?s won rings and put up banners,? Hurley said. ?We?ve got a chance to do it again by ourselves on Friday. We don?t want to share a championship with anybody.?
URI shared what was known as the Eastern Eight crown with Duquesne in 1980-81, the last regular-season conference title of any kind for the program. The league was rebranded for the 1982-83 season, losing Pittsburgh to the Big East and adding Saint Joseph?s, Temple and Penn State. A runner-up finish to the Owls in 1987-88 and a tie for second place with Dayton behind Davidson in 2014-15 is all the Rams have to show for the better part of the last four decades.
?That?s not lost upon us,? Hurley said. ?That was one of our goals in the preseason ahead of national rankings, ahead of winning streaks. Obviously we had to do it the hard way, but winning a championship is never easy.?
URI (22-4, 14-1) arrived at the brink of history by surviving Tuesday?s overtime thriller with La Salle, 95-93. Tony Washington?s last-second bucket off an intentional missed free throw forced an extra five minutes, but the Rams didn?t blink in overtime. B.J. Johnson?s 29 points and 23 rebounds ultimately went for naught.
?I knew we were in great shape because the first possession to start overtime we were real sharp with our execution,? Hurley said. ?Obviously we had to play the full 45 [minutes] to get the win.?
Jeff Dowtin?s career-high 25 points led five URI players in double figures, the fifth time this season the Rams have had that many players score 10 or more in a game. It was more points than URI had scored in its previous 100 conference games under Hurley and the most against a league opponent in exactly eight years. The Rams demolished Fordham, 101-75, on Feb. 20, 2010.
?The difference between this year?s team and past teams is when our defense isn?t quite at an elite level, we have the ability to score,? Hurley said. ?We have some versatility in terms of how we can win.?
The Flyers (13-14, 7-8) are in search of their first three-game winning streak of the season and hoping to avoid their first sweep at the hands of URI. Josh Cunningham?s 32 points weren?t enough to save the Flyers from an 88-74 home defeat against the Rams on Jan. 20, as no other Dayton player attempted more than five field goals. Jared Terrell?s 24 points led URI.
Friday marks the rare occasion where Dan Hurley will ask his players to be a little selfish.
A share of the first Atlantic 10 regular-season title in program history isn?t enough for the University of Rhode Island coach. The Rams want the top spot and the corresponding accolades all to themselves, with their first chance to handle matters coming against Dayton.
The Ryan Center is expecting a sellout crowd Friday night for No. 18 URI, who can lock Davidson and St. Bonaventure behind them for good with one more victory. Wednesday wins by the Wildcats and Bonnies kept them in the picture for another couple of days, but the Rams can finish things off by wrapping up a season sweep of the Flyers.
?This is a group that?s won rings and put up banners,? Hurley said. ?We?ve got a chance to do it again by ourselves on Friday. We don?t want to share a championship with anybody.?
URI shared what was known as the Eastern Eight crown with Duquesne in 1980-81, the last regular-season conference title of any kind for the program. The league was rebranded for the 1982-83 season, losing Pittsburgh to the Big East and adding Saint Joseph?s, Temple and Penn State. A runner-up finish to the Owls in 1987-88 and a tie for second place with Dayton behind Davidson in 2014-15 is all the Rams have to show for the better part of the last four decades.
?That?s not lost upon us,? Hurley said. ?That was one of our goals in the preseason ahead of national rankings, ahead of winning streaks. Obviously we had to do it the hard way, but winning a championship is never easy.?
URI (22-4, 14-1) arrived at the brink of history by surviving Tuesday?s overtime thriller with La Salle, 95-93. Tony Washington?s last-second bucket off an intentional missed free throw forced an extra five minutes, but the Rams didn?t blink in overtime. B.J. Johnson?s 29 points and 23 rebounds ultimately went for naught.
?I knew we were in great shape because the first possession to start overtime we were real sharp with our execution,? Hurley said. ?Obviously we had to play the full 45 [minutes] to get the win.?
Jeff Dowtin?s career-high 25 points led five URI players in double figures, the fifth time this season the Rams have had that many players score 10 or more in a game. It was more points than URI had scored in its previous 100 conference games under Hurley and the most against a league opponent in exactly eight years. The Rams demolished Fordham, 101-75, on Feb. 20, 2010.
?The difference between this year?s team and past teams is when our defense isn?t quite at an elite level, we have the ability to score,? Hurley said. ?We have some versatility in terms of how we can win.?
The Flyers (13-14, 7-8) are in search of their first three-game winning streak of the season and hoping to avoid their first sweep at the hands of URI. Josh Cunningham?s 32 points weren?t enough to save the Flyers from an 88-74 home defeat against the Rams on Jan. 20, as no other Dayton player attempted more than five field goals. Jared Terrell?s 24 points led URI.
