Standing Tall: More fans should attend women’s basketball games

On Nov. 12, the Ryan Center hosted a doubleheader of basketball games that saw the men’s team take on Bryant University and the women’s team face Merrimack College immediately after. 

It was a packed house for the men’s game, with home court advantage being one of the deciding factors in helping the men’s team pull away with a 83-64 victory. 

For University of Rhode Island Men’s Basketball Head Coach David Cox, it was a relief to finally have the fans back in the arena to push their Rams to victory.

“It’s amazing to have the fans back, they really helped us tonight at big points in the game,” he said.

Unfortunately, the women’s team, fresh off a season opening 83-37 victory over Dartmouth, couldn’t share that relief as they ran onto the floor immediately after the men’s game to see fans filing out of the crowd, with the school pep band making up the only large group of people left in the building. 

The Rams were unphased by the sudden disappearance of the Rhody fans though, defeating Merrimack in historic fashion by a score of 106-42. The score marked the first time the Rams had reached 100 points since 1996, and the 64-point margin of victory was the largest in program history, smashing the previous record of 56. While it may not have been as close a game, it was certainly one that Rhody fans would have enjoyed watching.

After the game, when all of the questions about the record-setting performance finished, Women’s Basketball Coach Tammi Reiss was also asked about what it was like to be back in front of fans, to which she answered bluntly but modestly.

“I really didn’t notice the fans at all, it was actually quite docile tonight,” Reiss said. “I obviously noticed them at the men’s game but I am locked into what we are doing.”

While the attendance was disappointing for such a historic night, one could argue that it was a long night for fans with the men’s game beforehand and that maybe they underestimated this team. After that game, though, the Rhody women’s team put everyone on notice both on and off campus. 

After wins against Coppin State University and Providence College, the Rams had another set of home games in which they had a chance to do some special things. First, was a game against Princeton University which Rhody was able to win, ending a 25-game win streak from Princeton that dated back to 2019. They defeated Harvard afterward, pushing their record to 6-0 for just the second time in school history. These wins, once again, came despite a lack of support from the Rhody faithful, with the arena looking essentially empty for both games with the exception of family members in the crowd and a few season ticket holders. 

After reaching 6-0, the Rams had a chance to push into uncharted territory on their road trip as a Rhode Island Women’s Basketball team had never reached 7-0. 

The Rams would eventually reach that coveted 7-0 mark with a win over Reiss’s alma mater and ACC powerhouse Virginia before a brief three-game slide on the road put the Rams at 7-3. After a crushing win against Hartford at the Ryan Center, though, the Rams are back on track and sit at 8-3. With conference play just around the corner, Reiss wants to see more from the Rhody faithful.

“It is definitely disappointing to look up and not see a lot of faces. These girls deserve to play in front of big crowds,” Reiss said. “This is a call to all Rhode Island fans. Come. Bring friends and family. We won’t disappoint.”

The next opportunity for fans to come and support their Women’s basketball team will come on Dec. 19 against Boston University with tip-off set for 1 p.m. The word is out now, and no more excuses will be tolerated. The University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team deserves their respect.