Dec. 29, 1997

No. 7 Stanford Defeats No. 24 Rhode Island, 70-69

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Kris Weems scored 17 points, including four free throws in the final 1:20 and No. 7 Stanford hung on to beat 24th-ranked Rhode Island 70-69 Monday night in the first round of the Cable Car Classic.

Rhode Island (6-2) had a chance for the winning shot after stealing an inbounds pass with two seconds remaining. Luther Clay's shot from 4 feet away bounced off the backboard and into the hands of Mark Madsen of Stanford (10-0).

The loss came in the return to California of first-year Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick, the former UCLA coach who resigned under fire in 1996 in the aftermath of a recruiting scandal.

Cutino Mobley scored a career-high 30 points for Rhode Island, 24 in the second half. Joshua King added 12 points.

Madsen had 15 points and Arthur Lee 11 for Stanford, which will play in the tournament championship Tuesday night against Santa Clara, which beat Penn 89-76 in double overtime Monday.

After trailing by six points at halftime, Rhode Island pulled to 55-53 on a 3-pointer by Mobley with 8:29 remaining. He he hit another with 3:19 left for a 60-all tie.

Tim Young made a pair of free throws for Stanford, but Mobley answered with another 3-pointer to put Rhode Island up 63-62. The Cardinal then scored six of the next eight points, going in front 68-65 on a pair of free throws by Weems with 1:20 remaining. King hit a 16-foot jumper to make it 68-67, but Weems then made both ends of a 1-and-1. Mobley had a putback for Rhode Island's final points with just over two seconds left.

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