Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer scored 15 points each to help Rhode Island defeat Saint Joseph's 87-76 on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.
Cothran scored 13 and Ulmer added 11 in the second half as the fifth-seeded Rams (22-8) moved on to play the No. 4 seed, Saint Louis, on Friday.
The Rams outrebounded the Hawks 36-30 and scored 25 second-chance points.
Rhode Island led 37-32 at halftime and shot 58.3 percent in the second half (14 of 24), including 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
Saint Joseph's led 12-7 early, but Rhode Island scored nine straight and led 16-12 on Ulmer's jumper with 10:59 left in the first half.
The Hawks pulled within 68-64 with 3:54 remaining, but the Rams answered with a 9-3 run capped by Marquis Jones' two free throws with 1:30 left.
Darrin Governs paced the Hawks (11-20) with 27 points.
