Feaster's effort would go for naught as Harvard couldn't find the killer instinct it so desperately needed.

While the second half witnessed a remarkable Crimson comeback, the first half was one most of the Harvard players would like to forget. The team shot a woeful 32 percent from the floor, including three-of-11 from downtown--a disappointing performance for a squad that prides itself on long-distance shooting as its main weapon.

The Crimson did not fare much better on the other side of the ball. A paltry Harvard defense allowed URI to make 46 percent of its shots for the game and sent the Rams to the free-throw line 18 times in the first half alone. Harvard was fortunate to be down by only nine points at the half.

"It's just pathetic at this point," Proudfit said. "People just didn't communicate. We got burned...[and] we just have to get back to the fundamentals."

Harvard has now lost four games in the final minutes. All four opponents were excellent competition, but all four contests could have easily been Harvard wins. The Crimson now has three weeks--and three non-league opponents--to find the elusive key to victory before it opens up its Ivy League schedule against Dartmouth.

"As disappointing as [losing] is, this is only going to make us a better Ivy League team," Delaney Smith said. "As far as player for player, [URI] would be as talented as any team in the League." URI  87 Harvard  77

RHODE ISLAND, 87-77 at Lavishes Pavilion Rhode Island  40  47  -  87 Harvard  31  46  -  77

Fuller 1-1 2-4 4; Smith 1-10 3-5 6;

Yarger 3-5 4-4 11; Byrd 7-13 8-9 22; Giroux 3-5

0-1 6; Grey 2-5 11-13 15; King 9-18 2-3 21;

Bader 1-1 0-0 2. TOTALS 27-58 30-39 87.

Black 1-5 0-0 2; Devis 3-11 0-0 6;

Feaster 8-18 5-7 25; Grossman 5-13 0-0 15;

Proudfit 3-8 0-0 7; Seanor 3-4 0-0 6; Branot 1-3 0-0 2; Gelman 2-9 0-0 5; Higgins 2-3 1-2 5; Gettelman 2-4 0-0 4. TOTALS: 30-78 6-9 77.