HENRICO, Va. -- Top-seeded Rhode Island advanced in 2026 Betterment Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinal play 71-64 over Loyola Chicago, and in doing so is making its third semifinal appearance in the last four seasons.

Rhode Island had a quintet of double-figure scorers led by All-Conference First Team selection Brooklyn Gray's 16 points. Third Teamer Palmire Mbu offered 14 points, Albina Syla 13, All-Rookie Team recipient Vanessa Harris netted 12 points and All-Defensive member Ines Debroise 11 points. The Rams shot 83.3% from the free throw line.

"I tip my hat to Allison, staff and team for the wonderful job with that crew and elevated that program to new heights," Rhode Island coach Tammi Reiss said. "I think the difference of the game was we made big shots. We called some sets down the stretch and people made plays. There's a reason why we have a couple of kids all-conference, they put their head down and went to work. Survive and advance. It's a good one to shake the rust off and get your sea legs under you."

Alexus Mobley recorded her second double-double of the season compiling 19 points and grabbing a career high 11 rebounds. Brooklyn Vaughn swishes 16 points and All-Conference Third Team honoree Alex-Anne Bessette earned 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. Loyola Chicago won the points in the paint battle 38-30.

"How we proud we are as a coaching staff and as a team," Loyola Chicago coach Allison Guth expressed. "We're proud of our effort and fight against an unbelievable Rhode Island. We really felt like we committed to our scout and seeing them one time this year, we have so much respect for what they bring to the table. We struggled a little in the first quarter letting Gray get hot early from beyond the arc and we made some really good adjustments. This game is hard, you wish you had a couple more ticks on the clock because of the way we were fighting in our fourth quarter, fighting that game. I just want to thank Team 47. because this has been such a joy."

There were six different lead changes in this contest.

After a pair of defensive stops both ways, Rhode Island began to settle in and instill its attack. Gray was featured with eight points during this stretch, much to the delight of hundreds of screaming school children.

Defensively, the Rams settled in and held the Ramblers without a basket for 4:28 of play, taking a 10-2 lead, while also opening up a five-rebound advantage over their opponent.

Loyola Chicago was unable to connect on its four three-point attempts in the quarter.

A driving Kira Chivers snapped the run and allowed for Loyola Chicago to find some form. The Ramblers trailed 16-10 after one quarter when Brooklyn Vaughn beat the buzzer.

Vaughn's basket sparked Loyola Chicago's response, a 9-0 run which saw Bessette bury a three-point play which gave the Ramblers its first lead of the game.

The paint was advantageous to Loyola Chicago as it contained Rhode Island's early start, amassing four points heading into the second quarter's media timeout.

Rhode Island was able to score the quarter's final six points, with Gray earning a four-point play and Mbu knocking down a pair of free throws.

The Rams aggression paid off with a 13-3 edge in free throws taken. Rhode Island made 10 first half shot from the charity stripe.

Rhode Island led 29-24 at halftime.

Bessette greeted the second half with a three-point basket, Loyola Chicago's first in six attempts. On Rhode Island's next possession Syla converted a jumper through contact, matching the Rambler effort when she converted a free throw.

"Albina is a very important piece to our team because she opens up the floor for us," commented Gray. "She's tall and has a big body, so she attracts a lot of people and has a rebounding ability as well. When she's down there banging in the post, whether she's scoring or people are looking at her, it opens the floor for cuts to space, so her presence is very felt on the offensive end and even defensively. Just having her is really special."

This keyed a 9-2 Rams run as Sophia Vital charged through the lane, giving Rhode Island a nine-point advantage.

Both Syla and Harris were Rhode Island's standouts in the third quarter scoring 11 and eight points respectively, good for 19 of the team's 24 points. Harris's first of two three-point efforts, allowed for Rhode Island to take a double-digit lead.

This two-pronged attack allowed for the Rams to shoot 62.5% from the field in the third period.

Up 53-42, Rhode Island started the fourth quarter with Mbu converting another three-point play.

Loyola Chicago continued fighting, using an 11-0 run across 5:10 to climb to within five points, while defensively containing the Rams to seven consecutive misses.

Gray was able to put a stop to the barrage by sinking a pair of free throws. The Ramblers successfully got back on the attack as Bessette found Mobley and the and-one opportunity made the contest a four-point game.

Vital had the response on the other end, driving and her layup turned into a three-point play. This secured that Rhode Island had the edge heading down the stretch.

"I'm not going to lie, coach was calling a play and (the defender) was just pressuring me, I just said I had to go by her and get a bucket," Vital recalled of the sequence. "At that point I had to."

Rhode Island will advance to the first of two semifinal contests, where it awaits the winner of fourth-seeded Davidson and fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's. The game will tip off at 11 a.m. on CBS Sports Network.