Saturday’s loss to Saint Louis University marked the end of the women’s basketball team’s regular season and, unfortunately for the Rams, they came up shy of their goal to reach 20 wins.
Rhode Island finished the regular season with an 11-17 record. However, their year should not be seen as a step in the wrong direction or a wasted season.
Entering conference play, the Rams were 6-6 and coming off a 4-2 stretch with both losses coming in overtime. And in the first half of conference play, Rhode Island kept the same pace with a 5-4 record. It was the month of February that was Rhode Island’s Armageddon as they lost seven straight games to close the regular season.
In the end, it was the Rams’ offensive struggles that hurt them the most. They scored just 60 points a game and shot 38 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Charise Wilson was forced to get the Rams out of a jam and create her own shot far too often.
Throughout the year, the Rams’ defense remained strong. They held opponents to 37 percent shooting from the field, good for fourth in the conference, and they held them to less than 62 points per game.
The highlight of the year was the play of Wilson and senior forward Samantha Tabakman. The duo combined to average 30 points a game, which is half of Rhode Island’s team average.
The Atlantic 10 made a colossal mistake in failing to recognize Wilson as All-Conference First Team. She responded to an incredible freshman year by posting about 17 points, four rebounds and four assists a game as a sophomore. Wilson scored 20 or more points eight times this season and at least 15 points in more occasions than not. She shot just 36 percent from the field, but that should not be looked at as a negative stat because of the role she was forced to play. Â
Tabakman, on the other hand, deserved the recognition she received, being named the conference’s most improved player of the year. She led the A-10 in field goal percentage, shooting 56 percent, and averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per contest.
Today at 4:30 p.m. Rhode Island will take on St. Joseph’s University in the second round of the A-10 Tournament. St. Joe’s finished 8-8 in the regular season, and beat the Rams by nine points on Feb. 20. The game will be live streamed on the Atlantic 10 website.