GLEN ALLEN, Va. -- The fifth-seeded Rhode Island Rams won the defensive battle and rematch against 12-seeded George Washington in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship on Thursday. The Rams defeated the Revolutionaries 52-41 at Henrico Sports and Events Center to move on to the quarterfinals on Friday at 1:30 p.m. against four-seeded Saint Joseph’s.
The Rams (17-15, 11-7), who dropped their regular-season finale against GW, recovered from its shooting lapses by their efforts from the free throw line in the second half. The Rams went through the third quarter without landing a shot from the field or from beyond the arc. But the Rams went to the line five times and shot 9 of 11. It expanded URI’s lead by five.
Harsimran ‘Honey’ Kaur recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ines Debroise scored 11 and grabbed six rebounds. Anaelle Dutat added 10 rebounds.
“I think what we talked about in the last game is being tougher and being aggressive so even though our shots were not falling, we were falling through our shot,” Kaur said. “Even though we were not making enough layups, we were really going hard on the glass, we were really going up on those layups. So I think it just shows our toughness and how aggressive we were.”
George Washington’s Kamari Sims nailed a 3-pointer to knot it at 33 at 5:15 in the third quarter. The Rams and Revolutionaries remained tied for the remaining minutes of the third quarter. URI’s Sophia Vital drew a foul and landed two free throws at 1:46 to regain a Rhode Island two-point lead.
With less than a second remaining in the third quarter, Kaur drew a foul and took three shots from the line. The A-10 All-Conference third team selection nailed one of her three free throws for a two-possession lead.
Vital landed a 3-pointer at 8:22 to extend Rhode Island’s advantage. The Rams extended their lead when A-10 All-Defensive team selection Anaelle Dutat broke for a steal. Vital nailed a 3-pointer on the turnover for a nine-point lead.
“We win games when we defend and rebound,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said. “And the difference today is they did that. They stayed locked in no matter how they were shooting. No matter what happened, they stayed locked in to if I keep crashing the glass and they keep fouling us, I’ll eventually get to the free throw line and now I can see the ball go through the hoop.”
The Rams broke away from the Revolutionaries thanks to an 11-3 run to close out the game. That included going 6 of 8 from the line to extend its lead and secure the win.
The Revolutionaries (13-18, 5-13) were paced by Makayla Andrews’ 14 points and Sims’ 11. Paige Mott also tallied 10 rebounds for the Revolutionaries.
“Sometimes it’s just about being tough and gritty this time of year,” coach Doug Novak said. “And I thought both teams were. [The Rams] just made a few more plays down the stretch.”