NEW: URI Wins A-10 Championship Beating VCU 70-63
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
NEW: URI Wins A-10 Championship Beating VCU 70-63
URI defeated the VCU Rams 70-63 on Sunday afternoon to win their first tournament title since 1999.
The win also clinches URI's first NCAA Tournament bid since that same year.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTURI Seals A-10 Championship
After leading by 13 to start the second half, URI saw VCU get as close as five points, 53-48, with 9:44 to play in the game, but Rhode Island would recover.
URI would go on an 11-5 run over the next four minutes to take a 64-53 lead with 5 minutes to play following two free throws from Jared Terrell.
VCU would cut it to four, 64-61 with under two minutes to play, but E.C. Matthews would convert a layup on the offensive end to push the Rams lead back up to five, 66-61, with under a minute to play.
After VCU cut it to three, 66-63, with just over 30 seconds left, URI’s Jared Terrell knocked down two free throws to again push Rhode Island’s lead to five.
Critical Defensive Stop
With a five point lead in tack and 30 seconds left, URI’s Stanford Robinson dove on top of a loose ball and quickly called a time out.
On the Rams ensuing possession following a time out, Matthews knocked down two free throws to give the Rams a 70-63 lead and seal the win.
URI's Hot Shooting Gives Them Early Control
The Rams opened the championship game much like they did the semifinal game against Davidson, with red hot shooting.
URI shot 50% from the field in the first half and 46% from three, connecting on six of 13 three-point attempts. URI had nine threes in the first half against Davidson.
Leading 18-10 with 12:52 left in the half following a three from VCU’s Doug Brooks, the Rams went on an 11-2 run capped off by a Hassan Martin dunk to give URI a 29-12 lead with 8:59 to play.
VCU would get back within ten, 31-21, after a free throw from Jordan Burgess went down but the Rams hot shooting would continue.
On their next possession, URI’s Matthews knocked down a three to push the Rams lead up to 34-21 with 4:34 left to go in the half.
VCU closed to within 11, 38-27, in the final 30 seconds of the half before the Jared Terrell would get a jumper from the side of the basket to go with fives seconds left to give URI a 13 point lead, 40-27, at the half.
This... ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/INYgmPVt5i
— Rhody MBB (@RhodyMBB) March 12, 2017
RI Teams To Win National Championships
PC Basketball 1960-61 NIT
The Providence College Friars won the National Invitation Tournament(NIT) in 1961, defeating St. Louis 62-59 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
At this time, the NIT was considered to be the National Championship of College Basketball.
The Friars were led by Vinny Ernst and James Hadnot that season.
PC 1962-63 NIT Champions
The Friars won their second NIT Championship two years after the first one. Led by Ray Flynn, John Thompson Jr. and Vinnie Ernst, the Friars won 15 straight games to claim the title.
Providence finished the season with a 24-4 record.
URI Men's Sailing 1965
The URI Rams won their first small boat National Championship in 1965.
The Rams were led by Art Payne and Peter Greene, both of whom were from Rhode Island.
Photo courtesy of urisailing.org
URI Men's Sailing 1975
The URI Rams won their second small boat National Championship and also won the National team race that season.
Photo courtesy of urisailing.org
URI Men's Sailing 1977
The URI men's sailing team won the National Championship in small boat sailing in 1977.
The team was led by two time all Americans Gary Knapp and Ed Adams.
Photo Courtesy of urisailing.org
Brown Men's Crew '93
The Brown Bears won the triple-crown, winning the Eastern Sprints, the IRA and the National Championship.
Brown Men's Crew '94
The Bears repeated their triple-crown performance from the season before, once again winning the Eastern Sprints, the IRA and the National Championship.
The Bears went undefeated on the season.
Photo Courtesy of brownbears.com
Brown Men's Crew '95
Coach Scott Roop leads the Bears to a third straight IRA and National Championship.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
PC Women's Cross Country
The 1995 Providence Friars won the programs first NCAA title. On the way, PC won their first BIG EAST and ECAC Championships.
Head Coach Ray Treacy was named NCAA Division I Women's National Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Men's and Women's Coach of the Year, Rhode Island Words Unlimited Women's Coach of the Year and NCAA District I Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Brown Women's Crew '96
Under head coach John Murphy, the Brown women's crew team won the 1996 eastern Sprints, the IRA's and the Collegiate National Championship.
The team became the first women's crew to win the "Triple Crown" of collegiate racing.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
Brown Women's Crew '97
Brown's varsity four team wins the first NCAA Championship by defeating the University of Washington on Lake Natoma in California.
The Bears finished third as a team overall.
Brown Women's Sailing '98
The Brown Women's Sailing Team won the College Sailing Women's National Championship in 1998.
The championships were held at Tulane University in New Orleans Louisiana.
Brown Women's Crew '99
Brown women's crew won the first NCAA Division I Championship in Brown University History by defeating the University of Virginia by a three-second margin at lake Natoma in California.
Brown also won the Eastern Sprint Championship and the Ivy Championship, setting a new course record in the process.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
Brown Women's Crew 2000
Brown repeated as national Champions in 2000, beating the University of Washington by 3.9 seconds four points.
In addition, Brown's varsity and second varsity won the Eastern Sprint Championship and the IVY league Championship.
Both teams went undefeated on the season.
Brown Women's Crew '02
The Bears won their third National title in four years defeating the defending champion Washington by four points in Indianapolis.
Brown was the only school to qualify all of it's crew for the grand finals.
The Bears went undefeated during the regular season.
Brown Women's Crew '04
Brown won thier fourth title in six years on Lake Natoma in California.
The win made Brown the winningest program in NCAA Championship history.
Brown Women's Crew '07
Brown won their fifth National Championship in 2007 at Melton Hill Lake in Tennessee.
The Bears beat Ohio State and Yale who came in second and third place respectively.
Photo courtesy of taxref/flickr
Brown Women's Crew '08
The Bears won their sixth National Championship on Lake Natoma in California.
The Bears beat Washington by eight points and third place Cal by 14 points to repeat as champions for the first time since 1999-2000.
URI Women's Sailing 2011
The URI Women won the programs first National Championship in small boat sailing in the 79 year history of the program and hoisted the Gerald C. Miller Memorial Trophy at the Sperry Top-Sider/Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s National Championship.
The Rams won the title as a club team and were one of two club teams competing for the title. The other club team was Western Washington, who finished 17.
Photo courtesy of uri.edu
Brown Women's Crew 2011
The Bears won their seventh NCAA National Championship in 15 years under head coach John Murphy.
The Bears racked up 45 points in the final race and beat Stanford by five seconds.
The title was their first since 2008.
Photo courtesy of brownbears.com
PC Women's Cross Country
The Providence College Women's Cross Country team won the 2013 National Championship with 141 points.
Emily Sisson was the Friars top finisher as she finished in seventh place at Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
This was Providence's first title win since 1995.
PC Hockey 2015
The Providence College Friars won the 2015 NCAA Ice Hockey National Championship, defeating Boston University 4-3 at the TD Garden.
The Championship is the first in the program's history and only the third NCAA National Title in Providence College History.
PC goatender Jon Gillies was named Most Outstanding Player.
