NEW YORK — UMass hadn’t made a shot in 10 minutes, 6 seconds as Trey Davis dribbled the ball at the top of the key.
The Minutemen had watched a 15-point second-half lead disappear and were clinging to a one-point edge after two free throws by Davis, but Rhode Island had momentum.
With Four McGlynn playing off him looking for a drive, Davis jab stepped left and McGlynn bit on the fake, giving the UMass senior guard a couple inches of extra room. Davis elevated with 3 seconds on the shot clock and drained a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left.
UMass’ four-point lead forced Rhode Island to futilely hurry shots. The No. 10-seeded Minutemen made enough free throws down the stretch to escape with a 67-62 win in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“That was the kill shot, and an incredibly tough shot,” Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley said.
UMass coach Derek Kellogg felt good when Davis set up to shoot.
“When he raised up, in my mind it was in,” Kellogg said. “I’ve seen him do it quite a few times this season, and it gave us a nice four-point lead. We were kind of struggling to score for a while. I think that was the obvious play that ended up giving us the victory.”
That victory earned UMass (14-17) a quarterfinal matchup with No. 2 VCU (22-9), Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Davis finished with 20 points, most of which came driving to the basket, which helped get McGlynn to play off him at the end.
“I wanted to get just a cushion for us,” said Davis, who also grabbed seven rebounds. “Once we got that, I was like, we’re good.”
Davis said he wouldn’t celebrate long.
“It’s special,” he said. “I’m happy for tonight, but then we’ve got another game tomorrow and I’ve got to come back and get my mind back right and get ready for that game.”
In Saturday’s senior day win over La Salle, Davis had a big first half, before Jabarie Hinds took the baton in the second. They switched roles, Thursday.
Hinds, the Atlantic 10’s Sixth Man of the Year, started on Saturday and stayed in the lineup Thursday. After the public address announcer introduced him as being from “nearby Mount Vernon, New York” the senior guard looked right at home.
The Minutemen, who had their worst half in 10 years against Rhode Island a week ago, looked completely different. Led by Hines, they surged out of the gate.
He had 14 points in the 22-6 surge to open the game, and finished the half with 17 points and three steals that UMass turned into seven points.
“I just wanted to be aggressive and stick to the game plan, what coach told us to do these past few days, and it worked in the first half,” said Hinds, who finished with 21 points.
The lead reached 18 with 2:29 left when Hinds’ 3-pointer made it 37-19, but the Rams scored the last eight points of the first half to pull within 37-27 at the break.
URI cut the lead to 43-37 3:40 into the second half, but Minuteman freshman big man Rashaan Holloway, who had eight of his 10 points and six of his seven rebounds in the second half, seemed to steady UMass. The Minutemen pushed their lead to 56-41 with 9:46 left.
But the Rams, who were statistically the league’s best defensive team all season, dug in and grinded out an 18-2 run over 7:57. A 3-pointer by Jared Terrell capped the surge and put URI up 59-58, its only lead of the game.
Davis attacked at the other end, driving past McGlynn, who fouled him. Davis made both ends of the one-and-one to finish 10 for 10 at the line.
Terrell’s driving shot rolled off the rim and Davis grabbed the rebound with exactly a minute left to set up the final sequence.
“I’m very proud of our guys, the way they came out and played against a team I respect,” Kellogg said. “For our guys to kind of give up that lead and then make a play immediately and then kind of finish off the game I think shows their character and that they want to try to make a run here.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage