Downtown Washington was transformed Friday afternoon into VCU Ram Nation as Virginia Commonwealth University took on No. 25 Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 tournament, but it wasn’t enough.
Despite the raucous, black-and-gold-clad crowd cheering on VCU inside Capital One Arena, top-seeded Rhode Island got strong guard play to hold on for a 76-67 win in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
Sophomore guard and Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native Jeff Dowtin (St. John’s College High) led Rhode Island with 18 points, while Jared Terrell chipped in with 16 in a game that had 11 lead changes.
“I am really proud of our guys,” VCU coach Mike Rhoades said. “[Rhode Island] made some tough shots. They have had a fantastic year. They made plays and we didn’t.”
Rhode Island will play Saturday in the semifinals against the winner of the Saint Joseph’s-George Mason game that followed Friday.
Eighth-seeded VCU (18-15) failed to make the tourney title game for the first time since joining the A-10 in 2012. It was a rare conference tourney loss for the school, which will miss the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2010.
“It is always a great challenge to play VCU,” said Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley. “It is a pleasure to compete against them. They have been the model … of a mid-major program in college basketball for a long time [with] some of the best fans in college basketball.”
URI senior guard Stanford Robinson (Paul VI High, Fairfax, Va.), from nearby Glenarden, Maryland, noted how rare it was for VCU to bow out so early in a conference tournament.
“It was good to knock out a monster in the first game. We gained a lot of confidence from that game,” Robinson said afterward.
The Richmond squad was paced by forward Justin Tillman, who had 23 points and 15 rebounds. But the team was just 12 of 19 from the foul line, including 6 of 12 in the second half.
“You are not really expecting to see VCU in a quarterfinal game,” Hurley said. “Both teams are playing for their lives. We got a lead late like we did against Davidson the road [on March 2]. We showed who we have been the whole year — came through in the clutch.”
Dowtin hit a pair of key shots down the stretch, including a twisting, off-balance shot to give his team a 63-59 lead with four minutes left. VCU wouldn’t get closer than five the rest of the way.
Dowtin said playing in the conference tourney last year as a freshman helped him Friday.
“It gave me a lot of confidence know that March is when all of the big players really step up,” he said.
Robinson, who played poorly most of the afternoon, made a layup off an inbounds play with 1:25 left to give Rhode Island a 68-61 lead.
Terrell connected on two free throws with 51.3 seconds left to give his team a lead of 70-61. Robinson hit two free throws to give URI a 74-64 lead with 28.2 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
“We are not tough enough, we are not strong enough. It is about getting tougher. We have to get bigger and stronger,” Rhoades said. “We have a ways to go but I love that challenge. You have to work for it man. That is what we are going to do.”
A-10 Commissioner gains post
Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade was named to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee and will begin a five-year term beginning Sept. 1, the conference and NCAA announced Friday.
McGlade, a former player at the University of North Carolina, was a women’s basketball coach at Georgia Tech.
American Women play for March Madness
The American University women’s basketball team, the No. 1 seed, will host No. 3 seed Navy on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the Patriot League tournament title game. The winner advances to the NCAA tournament, for which the bracket will be announced Monday.
So far, the George Washington women are the only local team assured of a spot in March Madness after winning the A-10 title. The Maryland women will be named an at-large team on Monday.
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