Rams outshot in 23-point loss at league-leading Richmond

Photo courtesy of Michaela Benford -- gorhody.com

Rhody’s recent momentum didn’t carry into a visit to the Atlantic 10 leaders on Saturday. 

URI women’s basketball was comprehensively outplayed in Richmond, falling 79-56 to snap its longest winning streak of the A-10 season. After giving up 17 first-quarter points and turning the ball over 16 times throughout the afternoon, the Rams were unable to dig their way out of an early hole as Richmond’s league-leading offense was on full display, not allowing URI a single lead all game. 

Although the Rams were outshot throughout the afternoon, they nearly turned around an ugly start when they managed to bring it within three points during the second quarter, sparking a 15-6 run to take advantage of a rare Richmond dry spell heading into halftime. Unfortunately, Richmond’s struggles didn’t last long, and it didn’t take long for the hosts to pull away again. 

By the time the teams entered the fourth quarter, the game was all but over already. Although the Rams dragged back an ugly first quarter by trimming a double-figure deficit to six points at halftime, that lead increased to nearly 20 points through the third, and from there the Spiders entered cruise control until the end. 

Unsurprisingly, that paved the way for the Spiders to put up more points than any other team against Rhody in more than two years. The last time the Rams gave up that many points came in a season-opening 88-74 loss at Harvard during the 2022-23 season. The last time an A-10 team dropped 79 on Rhody – a 79-69 loss to UMass on Dec. 8, 2020, more than five years ago.

Nonetheless, the loss did not come because of a lack of offense, as three Rams finished in double-figure scoring despite the loss. Senior center Harsimran “Honey” Kaur led the way with 14 points and seven rebounds, falling just three boards shy of yet another double-double. Junior forward Hawa Komara continued her breakout offensive season adding 12, while freshman forward Plamire Mbu provided 11 points off of the bench – her second career double-figure game, and just two points shy of her career-high. However, the rest of the team combined for just 19 points, and URI converted at a poor 39 percent clip.

On the other end, the Spiders shared the ball and shot efficiently, shooting 59 percent from the field and an impressive 55 percent from distance, including 20 points off of the Rody turnover. Four spiders tallied double-figures, and a 25-point fourth quarter propelled them to a comfortable win as the Rams never brought the deficit within single-digits through the final 10 minutes. 

Despite the loss, the Rams still sit at 6-4 in A-10 play, and will have a chance to get back in the win column on a quick turnaround when they return home on Wednesday. Tip-off vs. Duquesne is set for 6:35 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network.