Women’s Basketball continues downward slide

The University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team was offensively stagnant in a lopsided 74-63 road loss against St. Joseph’s University on Saturday. The loss extended the Rams’ losing streak to five games, as they continue to descend down the Atlantic 10 standings.

URI (11-15, 5-9 A-10) saw their recent shooting woes carry over into Philadelphia, as they shot just over 35 percent from the field while their opponents raced to a hot start in the opening quarter. The Hawks (12-14, 6-8 A-10) were 10-for-16, shooting a blistering 62.5 percent to build an early double-digit lead, 25-14. St. Joseph’s put on a clinic for the entire game, landing 48 percent of their shots from the field, and nearly that rate from three-point range as well. Their lights-out shooting, led by Kathleen Fitzpatrick with 26 points, allowed them to survive a sloppy 22-point turnover night, as the Rams struggled to generate offensive firepower on their own.

“They set the tone early,” head coach Daynia La Force said. “Once we noticed how hot they were, it took away our confidence.”

The Rams’ shortcomings persisted and they were faced with an 18-point first-half deficit. The trend continued as St. Joseph’s lead swelled to more than 20 points, ultimately with URI trailing 63-31 heading into the final frame.

Rhode Island then became rejuvenated and cut the deficit by more than half, on the strength of senior sixth man Symone Bullard’s eight points in the quarter, 15 overall. Despite the rally, the Hawks were shielded from the overwhelming advantage they built for themselves, one that proved insurmountable for URI as they continued their descent past mediocrity, now four games below .500 and heading toward the conclusion of a season that surely disappoints La Force and company.

“We’ve been very inconsistent,” La Force said. “Other people need to step up. Most teams do not lose their discipline at this point of the season, but we have. It’s up to us to get it back.”

Although they received bench production from Bullard and received ample contributions from senior forward Tayra Melendez, who scored 14 points, the team as a whole was out of sorts. Although she led the way with a team-high 23 points, Charise Wilson was inefficient, going 8-for-24, 3-for-11 from beyond the three-point line.

Rhode Island is now desperate to get back on course and regain some much-needed momentum with the A-10 tournament looming.

“You’re never out,” La Force said. “We’re not happy with how we played in February. That’s motivation. In the conference tournament you start 0-0, so hopefully we win games.”

The Rams will celebrate their seniors on Wednesday at 7 p.m., when they battle the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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