The University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team had its losing streak stretch to five games with a winless week on the road against a pair of Ivy League opponents, Harvard University and Princeton University.
Rhode Island went into its matchup against Harvard coming off three consecutive close losses, all within seven points or less. Meanwhile, the Crimson entered the game heading in an opposite direction; riding a seven-game win streak and a 9-1 start. Those early-season trends continued on Saturday afternoon with the Rams being outscored by the Crimson in every quarter on their way to a 60-48 defeat.
After not making a field goal in the first 5:30 of the game, Harvard quickly caught fire by making four of its next five shots to go on a 10-0 run and take a five-point lead that it would never give back. On the flip side, the Rams were held to just four points in the final six minutes of the first quarter and went 1-11 from the field in that span.
Second-year guard Sophia Vital, who was making her first start of the year, gave the Rams some momentum heading into the locker room by knocking down a three to cap off a 6-0 run, which cut the deficit to 29-22 at halftime.
Rhode Island trimmed the lead to just three points when fourth-year guard Sophie Phillips made a shot from beyond the perimeter with 7:44 left in the third quarter. Phillips provided an offensive spark by going 6-8 from the field and 4-5 from three-point range, which moved her into second-place in program history for career three-pointers made.
After another 9-0 run by Harvard, the Rams struggled to get back within striking distance. Fourth-year guard Harmoni Turner displayed why she is a top-11 scorer in the nation with a game-high 26 points. Harvard rode this performance on its way to its eighth-straight win, while handing URI its fourth straight loss.
Offensive woes have been the story all year for Rhode Island, who rank 13th in the Atlantic 10 in points per game, and that was no different in this one as they scored 50 or less points for the third-straight contest.
Following the loss, Rhode Island traveled to New Jersey for a showdown with Princeton on Wednesday night. As their offensive struggles lingered, the Rams trailed from start to finish in a 66-54 loss to the Tigers.
“Our margin of error is so very small because we’re so offensively challenged at times,” URI Head Coach Tammi Reiss said. “We can play a great game and then have three bad possessions and you’re down 12.”
After falling behind early, Rhode Island stormed back with a 8-0 run in the second quarter to make it a one-point game. The run was completed by a corner three from first-year forward Palmire Mbu, who was making her return from a two-game absence due to injury.
The Tigers stretched their lead back to 33-26 entering halftime on the heels of 11 points from second-year guard Ashley Chea. One area where the Rams held the advantage in the opening 20 minutes was on the offensive glass, as they reeled in nine offensive rebounds and allowed just two.
Princeton never relented its lead in the second half and pulled away with a 7-0 run in the final four minutes to take their largest lead of the game and secure the 12-point victory.
“Towards the end, again, our breakdowns in the fourth quarter, our inability to get shots and turning the ball over, it really affects us,” Reiss said. “[Princeton] made shots, they executed when they needed to and they really did make big shots.”
The Rams struggled from the field throughout the night, shooting just 34% compared to Princeton’s mark of 51%.
“When you’re on a five-game losing streak, it’s never easy as a player,” Reiss said. “I think our kids show up every game and they compete, it’s just, we really need to tighten things up.”
Looking ahead, Rhode Island will try to get its first win since Nov. 23 when it takes on Saint Francis University at the Thomas M. Ryan Center at 11 a.m. on Dec. 20. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with a radio broadcast available on RIU2.org and The Varsity Network.