Rhode Island

He's not the most well-known guy in the Atlantic Ten, but there have been plenty of nights when Xavier forward Darnell Williams has been the most dominant player on the floor. Last night, Williams may have had a little something extra to prove, after sitting out a suspension the night before, after the events of the last week. He came out possessed, Rhode Island suffered for it, and the Musketeers are in tonight's A-10 championship game at the CoreStates Spectrum after knocking out the Rams, 95-80.

Utah coach Rick Majerus was so busy coming up with a game plan to stop Lamar Odom, he didn't give Antonio Reynolds-Dean much thought. Reynolds-Dean made the Utes pay. He scored 22 points and Odom added 15 as Rhode Island upset No. 21 Utah, 70-63, last night in the Great Eight in Chicago. Preston Murphy, who briefly left the game limping, came back to hit two huge three-pointers as the Rams (4-3) pulled away late in the second half. Andre Miller tied a career high with 28 points and had a Great Eight-record six steals for the Utes (3-3)

A double-double performance from Jasmine Stone led Temple to its third straight Atlantic 10 win, 67-52 over host Rhode Island last night. Stone finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Owls improved to 3-1 in the A-10, and 13-5 overall. BJ Williams added 17 points. Lindsay Harris and Megan Shoniker scored 13 apiece to lead Rhode Island (2-2 A-10, 9-10). Temple hosts Penn 2 p.m. Saturday at McGonigle Hall.

KINGSTON, R.I. - Carl Jones scored a game-high 28 points as St. Joseph's used a pair of second-half rallies to beat Rhode Island, 80-69, in Atlantic Ten action Wednesday night. C.J. Aiken backed up Jones with 18 points, while Langston Galloway added 16. The scored was tied, 43-43, when the Hawks (17-10, 7-5) went on a 14-0 run that produced a 57-43 lead. Rhode Island (5-22, 2-10) countered with a 14-3 run of its own, but the Hawks had the last run, which, as it turned out, was the one that mattered.

Former UCLA basketball coach Jim Harrick, fired just a year after the Bruins won the national championship, visited the Rhode Island campus yesterday and appeared ready to become the next Rams coach. Harrick, 59, met with Rhode Island president Robert Carothers, athletic director Ron Petro and Rhode Island team members and boosters. He also met Gov. Lincoln Almond - a Rhode Island alumnus - at the Statehouse. Harrick seemed impressed. So did Petro. "The overall package that he brings to the University of Rhode Island - being a national champion - is outstanding," Petro said.

He only came off the bench, but, oh, what a substitute Rondell Turner was for Simon Gratz, the nation's top high school basketball team last season. The 6-foot-8 senior transfer ended up as the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.2 points per game. Over the weekend, Turner parlayed his one-year stint at Gratz into a basketball scholarship at Rhode Island, one of the Atlantic Ten Conference's four NCAA tournament entries last season. After having lived in group and foster homes since middle school, Turner moved to his grandmother's North Philadelphia home last fall and transferred from University City to Gratz.

The bottom line was the same as it has been for more than a month: The team that went oh-for-December is starting off oh-for-January. But as far as Jim Boyle is concerned, getting to the painfully familiar result was a little more enjoyable last night. Boyle's St. Joseph's basketball team tumbled to its eighth straight loss - its longest losing streak since 1974-75 - as it fell to Rhode Island, 68-65, in the first game of the year in the Rams' newly renovated Keaney Gym. But the Hawks put up a strong battle against the favored Rams, riding some torrid early shooting to a 15-point first-half lead and did not allow Rhody to grab its first lead until there were only 10 minutes left in the game.

Rhode Island, the second seed in the Atlantic 10 Conference, has had a tournament to remember. And it's a cinch the Rams won't be soon forgotten by West Virginians, either. Before last night's 65-63 victory over the Mountaineers, which advanced Rhode Island into tonight's final against Temple, the Rams had been anything but gracious guests. Coach Tom Penders complained when West Virginia, the third seed, was given a day off to prepare for the semifinals. Guard Tom Garrick followed a 50-point quarterfinal performance against Rutgers by criticizing those media members who had voted him only to the second all-conference team.

Cuttino "Cat" Mobley and Sean Colson are in no rush to break up a good thing. After spending this school year at Maine Central Institute, the former city basketball stars are headed for the University of Rhode Island. Colson, a 6-1 point guard from Franklin Learning Center, said he will sign with the Rams today, but that he still had considered Cincinnati deep into last night. Mobley, a 6-4 wing guard from Cardinal Dougherty, said he has made an oral commitment to URI and expects to sign within a week.

Rhode Island has hired Wagner's Dan Hurley to rebuild its struggling Atlantic Ten program, which finished 7-24 this season. Hurley, who spent two years as the State Island school's basketball coach, agreed to a six-year deal. In his second season at Wagner, Hurley led the Seahawks, who play in the Northeast Conference, to a 25-6 record. The former star guard at Seton Hall - and son of Hall of Famer Bob Hurley - also coached nine seasons at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J. "Dan is a proven winner at every level and I am looking forward to partnering with him to build on the solid foundation we have in place," Rhode Island athletic director Thorr Bjorn said.

DAN HURLEY is the new men's basketball coach at Rhode Island. Hurley, 39, who spent 2 years at Wagner, agreed to a 6-year deal to rebuild the struggling Atlantic 10 program. In his second season at Wagner, Hurley led the Seahawks, of the Northeast Conference, to a 25-6 record. The former star guard at Seton Hall - and son of Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Hurley - also coached nine seasons at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J. Rhode Island went 7-24 this season. "Dan is a proven winner at every level and I am looking forward to partnering with him to build on the solid foundation we have in place," Rhode Island athletic director Thorr Bjorn said.

SHEY PEDDY tied a Temple women's single-game record with 10 steals and also scored a game-high 22 points as the Owls routed host Rhode Island, 84-41, yesterday in Atlantic 10 action. The Owls (18-8, 11-1 A-10) had 27 steals total to tie the program record for a single game, and won their 10th straight. They also forced 30 turnovers while committing only five. Peddy tied the record set by Stacey Dean against Penn State in 1985. Kristen McCarthy scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, and Tyonna Williams came off the bench for 10 points.

KINGSTON, R.I. - Even though Rhode Island scored 16 points off 14 Saint Joseph's turnovers, Hawks coach Phil Martelli was anything but frustrated. "I'm not frustrated at all," Martelli said after St. Joe's prevailed, 80-69, last night in an Atlantic 10 game at the Ryan Center. "We came here to win a game. We won this game. Now we have work to do for Saturday's game [at George Washington]. "This idea of being frustrated . . . we have 17 wins. We had 11 last year so enough with everybody being like we should be frustrated.

KELLY CAVALLO scored a team-high 14 points as Saint Joseph's cruised to a 64-53 victory over Atlantic 10 foe Rhode Island in a women's basketball game at Hagan Arena last night. Ashley Prim and senior guard Michelle Baker combined for 13 of Saint Joseph's (17-8, 7-4 A-10) first 21 points as the Hawks hit 10-of-13 field goals in the opening 8 minutes of action. Emilie Cloutier had a game-high 17 points in the loss for Rhode Island (1-25, 0-11 A-10). In other women's games: * At the Liacouras Center, Temple cruised to a 75-54 win over fellow A-10 opponent George Washington.

KINGSTON, R.I. - Carl Jones scored a game-high 28 points as St. Joseph's used a pair of second-half rallies to beat Rhode Island, 80-69, in Atlantic Ten action Wednesday night. C.J. Aiken backed up Jones with 18 points, while Langston Galloway added 16. The scored was tied, 43-43, when the Hawks (17-10, 7-5) went on a 14-0 run that produced a 57-43 lead. Rhode Island (5-22, 2-10) countered with a 14-3 run of its own, but the Hawks had the last run, which, as it turned out, was the one that mattered.

KINGSTON, R.I. - Regardless of the sport, chemistry can be an elusive element. But that isn't the case with Temple's basketball team - specifically guards Ramone Moore, Khalif Wyatt, and Juan Fernandez. The trio combined to torch Rhode Island for 47 points Saturday as the Owls cruised to a 73-56 Atlantic Ten Conference victory. Temple's win, combined with La Salle's loss to St. Joseph's, vaulted the Owls (17-5, 6-2 A-10) into first place ahead of the Explorers (17-7, 6-3)

For La Salle, there is no place like home. The Explorers, coming off two consecutive road losses, used a strong second half en route to a decisive, 80-66 victory over Rhode Island at Tom Gola Arena. The win was the 12th straight at home for La Salle going back to last season. "If you study college basketball . . . every top team wins at home," La Salle coach John Giannini said. "This group does what good teams do: win at home. It is a huge mark of success for the program. " Tyreek Duren finished with 21 points and six assists in 31 minutes.