The University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team started their season on a low note Friday night, being decimated by the national champion runner-up Syracuse University, 95-49, on the road in the famous Carrier Dome.
The Rams, like last year, began their 2016-17 campaign against the Orange, but saw far different results on the road in the Carrier Dome than they did at the Ryan Center. Syracuse built a double-digit lead after the first quarter, with the score 25-15 in their favor. The second quarter featured an offensive lull for both teams, but URI fell further behind, and went into the break trailing 36-23. Junior guard Charise Wilson struggled, shooting 1-of-6 in the first half. Wilson would, however, join an elite club of Rams by crossing the milestone of 1,000 career points in the first quarter.
Syracuse widened what was a somewhat manageable gap, and took control of the matchup. Wilson’s shooting woes continued, as she shot 1-for-12 in the game. The star guard’s inefficiency made it difficult for URI to generate the firepower necessary to compete with the 3-point deft Syracuse, who made 17 baskets (37.8 percent) from downtown compared to the Rams’ two (11.8 percent). The deficit ballooned to as many as 46 points in the second half, as Syracuse’s Alexis Patterson turned in a perfect offensive fourth quarter. The guard tallied 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting, and finished her night with a game-high 28 points, going 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Forward Dina Motrechuk enjoyed a career night for Rhode Island, leading her team with a double-double of 16 points and 13 boards.
The Rams potentially could’ve been able to overcome Syracuse’s impact with the long ball, but turnovers prevented the team from making the game competitive. Wilson had 10 turnovers, a statistic that overshadowed her 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and fellow guard Dominique Ward had nine to contribute URI’s total of 26. The Orange appreciated the charity, and turned their opponent’s mistakes into 38 points. Syracuse rolled to the 95-49 victory.