By CHRIS RUSSELL
NEW YORK— With a 15-year wait since their last NCAA Tournament appearance, head coach Dan Hurley and his Rhode Island squad entered the Barclays Center on Saturday just two victories away from winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament and punching their ticket to the Big Dance.
That wait will more than likely be for another year.
In a tight contest, the second-seeded Flyers took control of the final 5:00 of the game, edging Rhode Island 56-52.
“Tough loss obviously,” Hurley said. “Lost with a little bit of inexperience, had 21 turnovers, giving away that many possessions. You have to give them credit.”
Dayton, which many consider a lock to enter the NCAA Tournament, dominated the paint, outscoring the Rams 36-16. The Flyers were led by Jordan Sibert who scored 12 points in 36 minutes of action. Dyshawn Pierre posted a near double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
The Rams were led by E.C Matthews who posted 16 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Gilvydas Biruta scored 14 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the loss.
The Rams success-rate has made a steady climb since Hurley came over from Wagner College. In his three years at the helm, the wins have increased from 8 to 14 and to 22. As disappointing as a loss can be, the Rams did put on a good show during their two-day stay in Brooklyn.
“It’s great for our program,” said Hurley. “It’s great for our kids, moving forward, this is where we expect to be. Playing in these championship rounds.”
Rhode Island needed to win the A-10 Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament. With the loss, the Rams will more than likely be headed to the NIT.
“If that is where we end up landing, then well be thrilled with that,” Hurley said. “Going into the year, with all the young players, if you would have told me that we would have been 22-9, I would be pinching myself. We’ll be thrilled with whatever post-season tournament we’re in.”
Both Dan and his brother, Bobby Hurley, Buffalo’s head man, entered Saturday trying to coach their squads into the big dance, but only Bobby will end up coaching in the NCAAs.
Their father, Bob Hurley Sr., also lost on Saturday when St. Anthony fell in the New Jersey Non-Public B state final.
Despite the loss, Rhode Island (22-9) is headed in the right direction. The Rams are expecting to have Matthews, who is projected in the 2016 NBA Draft, back next year and are working on getting a waiver to get Kuran Iverson, Allen’s cousin, eligible after he transferred from Memphis.
“We started two freshman and two sophomores,” said Matthews. “We’re a young team, so I think we have better days ahead of us.”
As for Dayton (25-7), they will face VCU in Sunday’s Atlantic 10 championship game. The Flyers defeated VCU, 59-55, in the lone matchup between the two squads.
“VCU is shooting the ball really well right now,” said Dayton head coach Archie Miller. “So we have got some things to work on and think about.”
VCU Fends Off Davidson to Advance to The A-10 Final
In the first semifinal at the Barclays Center, No.5 seed VCU looked to get revenge against top-seeded Davidson, the same team who defeated the Rams by 27 points on March 5.
In the early minutes, Davidson looked poised to repeat the onslaught from nine days earlier, running to a quick 16-4 lead over VCU. The Rams weren’t amused. They used a 40-12 run to create separation and never looked back, pulling away to a 93-73 victory over the Wildcats.
VCU will make their third straight trip to the conference championship, where they will face second-seeded Dayton, who defeated Rhode Island 56-52 on Saturday.
“It was a great game,” VCU head coach Shaka Smart said. “I thought obviously the final score really doesn’t illustrate how competitive the game was and how hotly contested it was. Davidson is obviously a terrific team, as evidenced by the way that they beat us nine days ago.
“I think we played with better energy,” Smart added. “We defended their motion much better. Certainly we were far from perfect, but Davidson is a team that they make you pay and they make you look really, really bad.”
The Rams (25-9, 12-6) were led by Treveon Graham who scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including connecting on all four 3-point attempts. Mo Alie-Cox scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds and JeQuan Lewis finished with 13 points and dished four assists.
The Wildcats (24-7, 14-4) entered the contest riding on a 10-game winning streak. Despite the loss, expect to hear Davidson’s name called on Selection Sunday. Davidson was led by Tyler Kalinoski who scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Jordan Barham and Jack Gibbs each had 18 points for the Wildcats.
“I think the Richmond game [Friday] really helped us today,” Smart said. “Hopefully today’s game will help us [Sunday].”
Photo: AP
Follow Chris Russell on Twitter
