The University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to a program-record 14 games with victories over Fordham University on Saturday and Saint Joseph’s University on Wednesday.
Rhody traveled to New York on Saturday for the second game of their two-game road trip to take on Fordham in the Bronx.
URI had three double-digit scorers, with first-year guard Vanessa Harris leading the way with 13 points. Fourth-year guard Ines Debroise and second-year forward Palmire Mbu were the other two, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Rhody got off to a hot start as they started the game on an 11-2 run over the first seven minutes of the game. Fordham tried to get some momentum going into the end of the first quarter with third-year forward Ugne Sirtautaite’s layup, but it was quickly quelled when Harris hit a buzzer-beater jump shot to give URI a 13-4 lead at the end of the first.
Fordham went on an 8-3 run in the first two minutes of the quarter to bring the deficit to within four. The run was sparked by three straight makes from fourth-year guard Alexis Black, who finished as Fordham’s leading scorer with 14 points.
The four-point deficit would be the smallest Fordham would have for the rest of the game. Rhody ended the quarter on a 10-2 run, capped off once again by a Harris buzzer-beater, to take a 29-16 lead at halftime.
“I’m really, really proud of our team on how we executed defensively,” URI Head Coach Tammi Reiss said. “Today was a defensive battle. To hold Fordham to 47 [points and] win the offensive rebounding war…[I’m] very, very proud of us.”
URI would hold off any sort of comeback by Fordham as the two teams traded buckets for the second half, with URI taking a slight 32-31 scoring advantage.
The 61-47 win marked a 13th straight victory for Rhody, tied for a program record, as they headed back to Kingston for a three-game homestand starting with a matchup against Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday.
The Rams opened up with an 11-4 run over the first four minutes of the first quarter, but St. Joe’s rallied back with a 15-7 run to take a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter. It was an uncharacteristic offensive performance from both teams as Rhody and St. Joe’s ranked first and second in the A-10, respectively, in points per game allowed.
The second quarter was more of the low-scoring affair that was expected between these two teams as they combined for just 18 points. The two teams shot a combined 8-27 from the field in the quarter, with third-year guard Sophia Vital being the leading scorer of the quarter with three points. Rhody was still able to manage a slight 28-27 lead going into halftime.
The Hawks took an early three-point lead coming out of halftime with buckets from third-year guard Aleah Snead and second-year guard Rhian Stokes. Rhody was able to take back the lead, one they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the quarter, after fourth-year guard Brooklyn Gray converted an and-one opportunity.
The Hawks were able to keep it within two scores due to eight points in the third from Snead, who finished as the game’s leading scorer with 24 points.
The Hawks retook control of the game coming out of the break as they opened the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a three-point lead. That would be the last lead St. Joe’s would have for the rest of the game.
Gray scored eight straight points, including two converted and-one opportunities that got the crowd onto their feet, to give Rhody back a lead they would never relinquish. Gray finished the day with 21 points.
“When the lights come on, I’m always ready,” Gray said. “Coach always has stressed to me to make the right play, make the right decision and do what’s best for the team. So it helps having a trusting coach.”
The Rams iced the game as they went 12-15 from the line in the fourth quarter and 8-10 over the last two and a half minutes to secure the 69-61 win. St. Joe’s finished the game making just two of its last 11 shots, including eight straight misses from the eight-minute mark until just 30 seconds left in the game.
“We got two free throw attempts in the first half, and our game plan we did not execute,” Reiss said. “So I told them, ‘We got to get back to what our game plan is and what we do,’ and [in] the second half we ended up going to the line 24 times.”
The Rams will continue their homestand as they take on a struggling Saint Louis University, who have lost four straight, on Sunday at noon, which will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Radio broadcasts will be available on RIU2.org and The Varsity Network.
