Early deficit downs Rams as women's basketball fall in Davidson

Photo Count of Michaela Benford

The University of Rhode Island Rams women’s basketball team suffered its first defeat in Atlantic 10 play to Davidson College as first quarter struggles held them back.

The Rams fell 65-55 as their second half comeback bid fell short at the hands of the Wildcats, after they scored just 8 points in the first quarter. Rhody entered the matchup 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play, 7-8 overall, but its second road test of league play would show them a conference defeat. 

URI had scored 77 or more points in the previous three matchups prior to the teams flight to North Carolina, but on Wednesday they scored just 55 points on under 35% shooting. The downfall for Rhode Island came from the long shot, where Rhody went 3-24. Davidson on the other hand shot over 50% from the field enroute to the victory, picking up their fourth conference win to lead the league. 

Davidson shot 6-11 in the first period of play, helping it jump out to a 16-8 lead, one the Wildcats would never relinquish. Rhody made just three of its 14 attempts in the first quarter, missing all four of their chances from behind the arc as well. The Rams saw an uptick in scoring after the mid game break, shooting almost 41% after and 26% before. 

The Rams outrebounded the Wildcats 41-32, grabbing 20 offensive rebounds which lead to 17 second chance points. The Wildcats struggled to continue their possessions grabbing a rebound on just three of their misses, leading to three second chance points. 

Davidson senior guard Issy Morgan led the way for the hosts, scoring 19 points on seven field goals. Morgan made as many field goals as the Rams did total in the first half of play. Morgan added two assists and a rebound as well to her statline as the Wildcats knocked down shot after shot on their way to a victory.

The Rams will have a chance to rebound on Sunday when they return home to the Ryan Center to take on the George Mason University Patriots. That matchup can be viewed on CBS Sports Network with audio streams available on RIU2.org and The Varsity Network.