SOUTH KINGSTOWN --- E.C. Matthews isn’t the only University of Rhode Island player looking to make an impact after battling an early-season injury.
Saturday’s closing stretch belonged to Cyril Langevine, as the sophomore forward helped drag the Rams to the finish on a day where they seemed stuck in second gear for long periods.
The sports hernia that slowed the New Jersey native before the exam break seemed a thing of the past. Langevine made clutch free throws, blocked shots and was a general force inside the final two minutes of a 68-62 grinder against Charleston at the Ryan Center.
Langevine’s pair of free throws with 2:06 left gave URI the lead for keeps at 61-60, and he sandwiched one of three blocked shots between his next pair at the line with 1:17 remaining. Jared Terrell added two more free throws inside the final minute to make it a two-possession game, as the Rams began their longest home stand in a dozen years – five games – on a high note.
“I felt 100 percent,” Langevine said. “I think the 10 days we were off helped me a lot. I feel better.”
Langevine notched the second double-double of his career, closing with 13 points and 10 rebounds in a season-high 25 minutes. Stanford Robinson added his first with 10 points and 10 boards and Terrell played his best game since a Thanksgiving victory over Seton Hall, leading URI with 21 points. The Rams needed every contribution they could find matching up with the preseason favorite in the Colonial Athletic Association.
“I just love the way we played the last couple minutes in that game,” URI coach Dan Hurley said. “You just see a shift in the confidence level, in the program, in where we’re at. That’s probably a game two years ago, three years ago, that we would have lost.”
URI enjoyed a 9-2 advantage over the final 2:26, as the Cougars made just one of their last seven shots. Charleston (7-3) opened 10-for-16 from the field and went just 13-for-39 the rest of the way, with Rams' guard Jeff Dowtin shutting down preseason CAA Player of the Year Joe Chealey (3-for-14, 12 points, 36 minutes). The Cougars couldn’t hold their early nine-point lead and didn’t extend the 9-0 run out of the locker room that gave them a 36-30 cushion with 16:35 left.
“It’s just getting over that hump,” Terrell said. “Getting to the (NCAA) Tournament and winning those close games that we did lose my sophomore year, I think that helped us a lot.”
Such triumphs have helped Hurley instill an unselfish, determined culture. He called Robinson URI’s most valuable player to this point, as the senior has been stuck battling inside while operating in a four-guard lineup. Robinson pulled down a career-high 12 boards in the electric 75-68 win over in-state rival Providence two weeks ago and is averaging a team-high 5.6 boards through nine games.
“We have great guards,” Robinson said. “There’s not a lot of shots to go around. Why not just do something else where I can help my team?”
It’s a sentiment shared by the rest of the Rams (6-3), one that allows Hurley to tailor his lineup as he sees fit. Matthews scored just four points in 10 minutes coming off his left wrist fracture and Andre Berry played just three second-half minutes, with Langevine gobbling up most of that time on the court. The result was yet another win that could go a long way toward helping URI make its return to the postseason.
“Andre has been really good for us – today was Cyril’s day,” Hurley said. “Andre’s got to be excited for Cyril and his performance. That’s culture. That’s having guys that have a close bond with each other.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25