AMHERST - Late in a long winter, the University of Massachusetts basketball season is starting to look an awful lot like the movie "Groundhog Day."
Again and again, the Minutemen are close at crunch time. Again and again, they lose.
The possibilities of winning love before the credits roll, or even arriving at a happy spring (some March Gladness), look bleak, indeed, after another down-the-stretch disaster. Last night's latest installment was a 71-59 loss to Rhode Island, a game far closer than the final score indicates.
"It's getting a little redundant to play great basketball for 36 minutes, to be right in the game, and then almost figure out a way yourself to lose," said first-year coach Derek Kellogg.
UMass tied the game at 57 on a pair of Tony Gaffney free throws with 2:56 remaining, then watched as Rhode Island closed the contest on a 14-2 run. In that stretch, UMass produced a frustrating sequence that included a missed layup, an airballed 3-pointer, and some exasperating turnovers.
"It's just the same thing every single game," said a frustrated Gaffney. "Until someone steps up - and it should be one of us, a senior, [and] we've yet to do it - until someone steps up and says, 'I'm taking this game over, I'm going to be tough, I'm not letting us lose,' we're going to continue to throw games away at the end, and our season will end before we know it."
UMass (9-15, 4-7 Atlantic 10) has been tied or ahead in nine of its 15 losses in the final four minutes, while the opponent has been tied or ahead at a comparable time in only one of the Minutemen's victories.
"We just didn't finish," said Gaffney. "We're writing the same story over and over again . . . Tonight, of course, we found another way to throw a game away."
For Rhode Island (19-8, 8-4), the story is much rosier. The Rams have been winning the close ones, and found a way yet again. Keith Cothran was the difference, coming off the bench to score a career-high 26 points on a night when usual stalwarts Jimmy Baron and Kahiem Seawright were held to 6 apiece.
"This team loves coming back," said Rhode Island coach Jim Baron (Jimmy's father). "We stepped up and made the plays down the stretch. We executed on what we wanted to do."
Rhode Island was down by as many as 12 in the first half, but closed to 31-28 at the break.
UMass dominated the glass in the first stanza, outrebounding the Rams by nine.
That turned around completely after intermission as Rhode Island owned the boards with a 19-7 advantage. UMass was 0 for 10 from 3-point land in the second half, and just 5 for 26 in the game.
The Minutemen were led by Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris with 15 points apiece. Gaffney had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 steals. It just wasn't enough as the late-game frustration continued, with UMass burrowing down toward the bottom of the league standings, keeping company with Punxsutawney Phil.
