The Rams are set to begin their postseason tournament campaign in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday. PHOTO CREDIT: atlantic10.com
After securing their first Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship, the University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team is poised to make a push for their first ever A-10 title.
After losing in their first game against St. Joseph’s last year, the once-again second seeded Rams are looking to improve their outing this time around.
Given that they are a top-four seed, Rhode Island will once again receive a double-bye, automatically advancing them to the quarterfinals on Friday.
The womens’ two possible opponents for their first game on Friday at 5 p.m. are #10 Duquesne, and #7 George Washington. Here is a breakdown of those two teams.
#10 Duquesne
Overview:
As gritty as they come, the Duquese Dukes are a middle of the pack A-10 team, who can hold their own against most teams, posting a conference record of 9-7. However, they struggle against strong defensive teams like Rhode Island, UMass and St. Josephs. This team could prove as a bracket beater.
Best Player:
Megan McConnel is a prototype point guard, displaying excellence in her scoring and ball movement, while acting proficiently on the boards as well. Her 49% shooting from the field allows her to average 11 points a game, but her 9.9 rebounds per game, second in the A-10, might be her most impressive statline.
Team Strength:
A gritty basketball team, Duquesne squeezes out their wins through excellent defense and rebounding. The Dukes hold their opponents to an A-10 low of 35% from the field and boast an A-10 second-place 41.1 rebounds per game. This tough nose basketball can shock certain opponents, allowing them to squeeze out wins against teams who don’t score the ball well.
How to Beat Them:
Taking the shots they give you and converting them is the key to winning against Duquesne. A tough team like this will defend you tight and snatch up rebounds that fall off the rim. Taking smart and open shots will allow you to eliminate their main strength and give you the best chance to win.
Rhode Island’s Result This Season: Win 70-63 (Dec. 31)
#7 George Washington
Overview:
Despite receiving a first round bye, the Colonials are ice cold, losing four out of their last five. This could prove to be an issue if they cannot iron out the issues before Thursday night at 5 p.m. However, before these struggles they won five straight, so George Washington knows how to win, it just depends on which night you play them.
Best Player:
Mia Lakstigala is a natural scorer for the Colonials, shooting 39% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. Her 13.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game are second on the team, giving her a widespread amount of abilities to impact the game. Her only weakness is that she can be held dormant against high quality opponents, she tallied nine points against Rhode Island and six against UMass.
Team Strength:
The Colonials only stand out significantly in their defensive output. They only allow 61.9 points per game, which places them fourth best in the A-10. They will have to put on excellent defensive performances throughout the tournament in order to succeed, as they just allowed the University of Massachusetts over 80 points in their season finale, when they lost 84-61.
How to Beat Them:
Score, score, score, and score some more. This season, when George Washington’s opponent scored 64 points or more, the Colonials had a record of 0-11. Simply scoring 64 points gives you an almost guaranteed win given that the Colonials have not cracked 64 points since Jan. 28.
Rhode Island’s Result this Season: Win 64-47 (Feb. 8)
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Past their quarterfinal game, there is the possibility of facing other teams, some that Rhode Island have lost to this year. In the semi-finals, the Rams have the possibility of facing #11 Davidson, #6 Saint Joseph’s or #3 St. Louis. Saint Josephs is the team to avoid.
#6 Saint Josephs
Overview:
Rhode Island has taken two games to overtime this season, one was against Saint Josephs. First on Feb. 1, URI won a 77-73 double-overtime thriller at home. Just a few weeks later, the Rams took a narrow win again, when Sophie Phillips sank a three-pointer in the final seconds for a 58-55 win. The Hawks also only lost to UMass 58-56, so they have proven they can compete with top talents.
Best Player:
Tayla Brugler is a scoring machine for Saint Josephs. Her 16.9 points per game ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10, while her 52% shooting from the field ranks fourth and her 84% shooting from the free throw line ranks second. She has scored 20 points or more nine times this year, and has scored 10 points or more 24 times. She is the go to player to break down tough defenses.
Team Strength:
Saint Josephs is an excellent defensive team, allowing only 60.5 points per game, an A-10 second-best. They do this through tight defense, allowing only a 38% field goal percentage, ranking fourth in the A-10. This allows them to hold high powered offenses to a degree where they can be outscored.
How to Beat Them:
Beating Saint Josephs is a simple yet tough operation, shutting down the big three contributors. The majority of the offense on this team comes from the point scoring of Tayla Brugler (16.9), Mackenzie Smith (13.9), and Laura Ziegler (11.8). However, the production drops off significantly beyond that. Simply performing tight defense on the top three players allows teams to gain a large chance at a win.
Rhode Island’s Results this Season: Win 77-73 2OT (Feb.1), Win 58-55 (Feb. 19)
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The other end of the bracket is also to be monitored if Rhode Island makes it to the A10 final. The opposite end features #12 Dayton, #9 George Mason, #8 La Salle, #5 Richmond, #4 Fordham and #1 University of Massachusetts. Fordham and UMass are the teams to avoid.
#4 Fordham
Overview:
Fordham delivered Rhode Island one of their most devastating losses this season, a 74-73 overtime victory carried by an Anna DeWolf buzzer-beating three pointer. The win snapped a four game losing streak and allowed Fordham to sprint into the tournament with momentum after defeating Davidson 74-65 the game after.
Best Player:
Asiah Dingle’s 19.1 points per game sits atop the A-10, while her 3.5 steals per game holds the same position. She has not scored under 11 points all year, with 13 20-point performances. Coupled with her excellence in stealing the ball, once recording 10 in a game against St. Peters in November. Dingle is the prototype for a two-way player.
Team Strength:
Offensive production is how Fordham wins games. They record 72.6 points per game, an A-10 second-best. However, this does not cover offensive efficiency, as Fordham does not convert field goals at an incredibly high rate, shooting a mediocre 42% from the field as a team.
How to Beat Them:
Limiting your fouls as a team is a great method to ensure yourself a victory against Fordham. The Rams shoot 78% from the free throw line, an Atlantic 10 best. Not giving them the chance to score where they are comfortable is your best bet to secure a victory.
Rhode Island’s Result this Season: Loss 74-73 OT (Feb. 22)
#1 UMass
Overview:
2022’s Atlantic 10 Tournament crowned UMass its champion last year, and they are poised to go back to back. The Minutewomen are the only team ranked above Rhode Island and for good reason. A 78-57 throttling by UMass on Feb. 16 gave Rhode Island their first conference loss of the year. However, Rhode Island got the better of them early in the year, a 75-68 win on Jan. 4. UMass’ only other loss came against #3 St. Louis on Feb. 22.
Best Player:
Sam Breen’s 17.9 points per game (3rd in the A-10), and 10 rebounds per game (1st in the A-10) makes her the only A-10 player, men’s or women’s, to average a double-double. That is just a look into the significance of Sam Breen, who is debatably the best player in the entire conference, winning A-10 Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023. She’s scored under 10 points only three times this season, and only one of those came in conference play. Her 16 double-doubles hammers in the fact that Breen is someone to put your very best player, or two on. On top of all of that, when Breen scores 20 or more points, UMass has a record of 10-3 this season.
Team Strength:
Depth is what best suits the Minutewomen. When Breen is not firing on all cylinders, so many other players can pick up the slack, making UMass almost impossible to stop. Sydney Taylor, Ber’Nyah Mayo, and Destiney Philoxy all average over 10 points per game. Philoxy is also one of the best facilitators in the conference, boasting an A-10 second best 5.1 assists per game.
How to Beat Them:
Catching UMass on an off night defensively is unfortunately the only way to beat them it seems. In conference play, when they allow 70 points or more they are 2-1, the one loss happened because their offense was not able to score on all cylinders. So the goal is to score 70 points, and hope they don’t catch up.
Rhode Island’s Results this Season: Win 75-68 (Jan. 4), Loss 78-57 (Feb. 16)
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With the tournament all laid out and formatted, all fans can do is sit back and watch it unfold. At the end of this weekend, the Atlantic 10 will have a new, or reigning champion. It could be Rhode Island or it could be a team discussed above, only time will tell.