Rams claim first win at Rose Hill Gym in 17 years to extend streak to three

Photo Courtesy of Michaela Benford

The Rhode Island Rams broke a 17-year streak of losses in the Bronx, New York as it took down the Fordham Rams in a dominant 53-35 victory. 

Rhody jumped out to a 21-4 lead and never looked back, dominating its mascot counterpart in the oldest gym in America. This marks Rhody’s third win in a row, moving the Rams to 6-3 in conference play and tied for fifth place in the standings.

URI was led by sophomore guard Sophia Vital who notched 15 points along with six rebounds and four assists in the win. Senior Sophie Phillips and redshirt Junior Hawa Komara also added 11 points each, the two other Rams in double digit scoring. Komara grabbed 12 rebounds as well, claiming her fourth double-double of the season while shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field. Rhode Island was fueled by its quick start, shooting over 60% in the first quarter while only allowing nine Fordham points before the second period of play. 

The only caveat for Rhody were the turnovers. The visiting Rams gave the ball away 21 times in the win, with three players having four each. Although URI were bested in the rebound category by nine, the team grabbed 11 more rebounds than Fordham. 

The home Rams in Maroon struggled mightily from the field, making just 21.8% of their attempts while never knocking down a single triple. Rhody held Atlantic 10 leading scorer Taylor Donaldson, who was averaging 17.3 points per contest heading into the game, to just eight points. 

35 points is a season low for the team from the Bronx, who average over 60 points per contest. For Rhody it is the third time this season it has held an opponent under 40 points, the others being UMass Lowell and Saint Francis. 35 matches the teams lowest total allowed with the 81-35 victory over the Riverhawks back on Nov. 20. 

The Rhode Island Rams will now travel to Virginia to take on Richmond, a top 30 team in the nation according to the NCAA’s NET ratings. The game is available to be streamed on ESPN+ with an audio broadcast available on The Varsity Network, tip-off is set for 2 p.m.