First-round Atlantic 10 Tournament

George Washington 60, Dayton 70 DAYTON, Ohio — Marcus Johnson scored 16 points and Dayton used a late nine-point run to defeat George Washington 70-60 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.(Full Story)

Duquesne 71, St. Bonaventure 83 OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews tied his career-high [...]]]>

First-round Atlantic 10 Tournament

George Washington 60, Dayton 70
DAYTON, Ohio — Marcus Johnson scored 16 points and Dayton used a late nine-point run to defeat George Washington 70-60 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.(Full Story)

Duquesne 71, St. Bonaventure 83
OLEAN, N.Y. — Chris Matthews tied his career-high with 28 points and Andrew Nicholson scored 25 as St. Bonaventure defeated Duquesne 83-71 on Tuesday night in the first round of Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

Saint Joseph’s 76, Rhode Island 87
KINGSTON, R.I. — Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer scored 15 points each to help Rhode Island defeat Saint Joseph’s 87-76 on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

Massachusetts 59, Charlotte  56
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ricky Harris scored 24 points and Massachusetts pulled ahead late for a 59-56 victory over Charlotte on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

A happy Rhode Island squad moves in to smother Marquis Jones, who hit the game-winning shot Tuesday, Jan. 26, as University of Dayton’s Mickey Perry takes in the Flyers’ 65-64 loss at UD Arena.

DAYTON, Ohio — Marquis Jones hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left to lift Rhode Island to a [...]]]> Associated Press

A happy Rhode Island squad moves in to smother Marquis Jones, who hit the game-winning shot Tuesday, Jan. 26, as University of Dayton’s Mickey Perry takes in the Flyers’ 65-64 loss at UD Arena.

DAYTON, Ohio — Marquis Jones hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left to lift Rhode Island to a 65-64 win over Dayton on Tuesday night, snapping the Flyers’ 30-game home winning streak.

Jones also scored the game-winning buzzer-beater last year in the Rams’ 93-91 overtime win over Dayton.

Delroy James led Rhode Island (16-3, 4-2 Atlantic 10 Conference) with 22 points and Keith Cothran added 17.

The Rams trailed 33-24 at halftime and by 11 with 18:26 left, but pulled ahead 45-44 on a Cothran three-point play. After Rhode Island extended its lead to 54-49 with 7:49 left, Dayton (14-6, 3-3) went on a 10-0 run.

The Rams regained the advantage at 62-61 with 30 seconds left. Chris Johnson hit three straight free throws with 15 seconds remaining before Jones’ game-winner. Mickey Perry’s 3-pointer missed with 1 second left.

Chris Wright and London Warren scored 12 each for the Flyers.

Jordan Crawford had his first career double-double and made all the big plays during a second-half run that sent Xavier to a 72-61 victory over Rhode Island.

CINCINNATI — Jordan Crawford had his first career double-double Saturday, scoring 21 points and making all the big plays during a 10-0 run early in the [...]]]> Associated Press

Jordan Crawford had his first career double-double and made all the big plays during a second-half run that sent Xavier to a 72-61 victory over Rhode Island.

CINCINNATI — Jordan Crawford had his first career double-double Saturday, scoring 21 points and making all the big plays during a 10-0 run early in the second half that sent Xavier to a 72-61 victory over Rhode Island.

Xavier (13-6, 5-1 Atlantic 10) hadn’t led or made a 3-pointer until Crawford — the conference’s leading scorer — took the game over during a 1:24 stretch. Crawford had three rebounds, passed to Jason Love for a layup, drove for a layup and hit back-to-back 3s during the run.

Crawford finished with 12 rebounds and six assists. Jamel McLean had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Lamonte Ulmer and Keith Cothran scored 12 apiece for Rhode Island (15-3, 3-2), which has lost 15 of its last 16 games against the Musketeers.

Xavier at (17) Temple 7:00 PM ET, January 20, 2010 Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA

CINCINNATI — The URI basketball team will try to do something Saturday night that no Rhody team has ever done — beat Xavier at Xavier.

Rhode Island has traveled to the Queen City six times since [...]]]> Associated Press

Xavier at (17) Temple 7:00 PM ET, January 20, 2010 Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA

CINCINNATI — The URI basketball team will try to do something Saturday night that no Rhody team has ever done — beat Xavier at Xavier.

Rhode Island has traveled to the Queen City six times since the Musketeers joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams have taken on the Muskies in the old Cincinnati Gardens, which is the team’s former home, and, more recently, at the gorgeous on-campus Cintas Center.

Xavier has won every time. Only once, in January of 1999, has URI even come within 10 points. On URI’s last visit, in 2007, the Rams were thrashed, 98-72. URI has beaten the Muskies twice at Keaney Gym, and in 2007 at the A-10 tournament in Atlantic City. But never in Cincinnati.

If they are to break that string, the Rams will have to do it before a packed house at the Cintas Center Saturday night. URI enters the 6 o’clock contest at 15-2 overall and 3-1 in A-10 play. Xavier is 12-6 and 4-1 after losing at Temple Wednesday night.

It is not as if URI is alone in having problems at Xavier. The Muskies have frustrated the entire conference, especially recently, as they have won three straight regular-season titles. They have won 26 straight A-10 games at Cintas, the last a victory over archrival Dayton a week ago.

First-year Xavier coach Chris Mack speaks as if winning so often is simply something to be expected for the Muskies.

“That’s what you have to do in this conference and any conference,” Mack said. “Defend your home court as best you can and try to win on the road.”

URI has reason to think this visit to Cintas could be different because the Rams have handled the road well thus far. They are 7-1 away from home, including a neutral-court victory over Oklahoma State. Still, the Rams have yet to play in a place like the Cintas Center.

“It’s a great college atmosphere,” URI coach Jim Baron said of the on-campus facility that seats a little more than 10,000 fans and regularly sells out even though fans have to pay a $1,600 personal-seat license just for the right to buy tickets.

Baron is concerned that Xavier’s size and strength could be used to slow his Runnin’ Rams.

“They’re very physical,” Baron said. “(Kenny) Frease and (Jason) Love are two of the most physical players in the league.” Frease is 7-feet, 265 pounds;Love, the team’s only senior, is 6-9 and 265.

Under former coach Sean Miller, who left to take the job at Arizona, Xavier regularly stressed team balance and depth. It has had four or five players average in double figures each year. It has been strong because it has been so solid in so many areas.

“They still have so many pieces, so many good players,” Baron said. “They have five guys who can shoot the 3.”

Xavier is second in the conference to URI in scoring, at 78 points a game, one behind the Rams. Rather than balance, the team has the conference’s newest star, Jordan Crawford. Crawford was one of the top freshmen in the Big Ten at Indiana two years ago, but left amid the turmoil at that school. The 6-foot-4 off-guard from Detroit is leading the A-10 in scoring at 19 points a game.

Mack is letting him carry the offense. Crawford has taken 342 field-goal attempts. By comparison, Keith Cothran has attempted the most shots for URI (222). Crawford is a solid 38.9 percent on 3-pointers.

Still, he is only third on the team in 3-point percentage. The Muskies have the top two in the league in that department, Brad Redford at 47.5 percent and Dante Jackson at 44.4 percent. Xavier has made 136 treys, tops in the A-10 and 33 more than Rhode Island.

If there is a downside for Xavier thus far, it has been defense. The team has been strong defensively in recent seasons with Stanley Burrell, Justin Cage and David West. This year, Xavier is allowing 69.4 points per game, only eighth-best in the conference. URI figures to score points. The challenge will be trying to stop the Muskies from scoring even more.