Sport Savings

Rams coach Jim Baron called a timeout and it was like all the clocks in Conte Forum were pointed at the Eagles huddle.

Six minutes and 44 seconds.

A young team was trying to protect a lead it clawed to get with a lot of time left to let it slip away. It was hard not to think of all the things that could go wrong.

Then, they did.

Jackson threw a dodgeball pass that ping-ponged around the paint. Daniels threw another bad pass that rolled off Patrick Heckmann. Dennis Clifford missed an easy layup. Daniels was whistled for a backcourt violation.

At that point, overtime was the best-case scenario.

The Eagles played two OTs against Rhode Island but fell, 78-72. It was as disappointing as any of the losses the 5-9 Eagles have taken this season, but the result didnt necessarily spoil the effort.

Ryan Anderson put up an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double, fueling a 12-5 run toward the end of the first half that pulled BC back into the game.

For a freshman to come out and give you 18 and 14 against that kind of athleticism is pretty impressive, Donahue said.

After coming off the bench the past four games, Heckmann scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting in his return to the starting lineup, including going glass on the shot that sent the game into double overtime.

In a lot of ways I saw a lot of good things that a good team can learn from, Donahue said. I thought we had good poise at the end of each overtime and at the end of the game. I thought we came up with a way to come back after being down. Then there were other times with the team where you scratch your head.

What ultimately doomed the Eagles was Rhode Islands offensive rebounding. The Rams came in leading the Atlantic 10 Conference at 17 per game, and pulled down 22 yesterday.

They dont shoot it well, so they go chase it, Donahue said. Unfortunately, the Achilles heel was the offensive glass.

The Rams missed 10 of their 14 shots in both overtimes, but after getting the first stop, the Eagles would have to get another, then another. It didnt help that the Eagles were in foul trouble late. Through the end of regulation, URI had 11 second-chance points. It put up another 11 in the overtimes.

We knew going into the game that they were going to be a really good offensive rebounding team, one of the best weve faced all year, Anderson said. It was very difficult. They did a great job finishing off their possessions with a rebound and we didnt.

In their first game of the new year and their last game of the nonconference schedule, the Rams were just trying to wipe 2011 away. Their best player, Jamal Wilson, was dismissed two days after Christmas. They have lost 12 of 15 games. The stretch in late November-December when they lost eight straight games was their most futile since 2004-05. Coach Jim Baron was reaching for answers, changing his starting lineup five times.

The Eagles, who were third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 3-pointers per game (7.3), were 8 of 15 from deep when Jackson hit the one that put them ahead. They missed their next nine until Heckmann knocked one down in the second overtime to make it 75-70.

A young Eagles team will take a trip to Chapel Hill next weekend to open up its ACC schedule against No. 3 North Carolina. Donahue said he wasnt looking at the game as a measuring stick for how prepared his team is for league play.

I dont necessarily look at the ACC season as that, Donahue said. I look at this team and where weve been over the last month and a half and how weve gotten better. Im excited about getting into the ACC. I want these guys to see how we stack up, but also I want them to [see] this is part of the process. Go out and win basketball games against the best teams in the conference and the best conference in the country.

Try BostonGlobe.com today and get two weeks FREE. Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.