HENRICO, Va. -- Rhode Island emerged victorious over Davidson 55-46 in the 2026 Betterment Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship semifinals and in doing so advance to its fourth championship game in program history.
Rhode Island was paced by Albina Syla as she set her career highs grabbing 14 rebounds, recording four blocks and making 11 field goals. When this was combined with her 22 points, one shy of a third personal best in this game, it was her seventh double-double of the season. All-Conference Second Team selection Sophia Vital added 10 points.
"Got to give credit to Gayle and her crew, they had a great season and really competitors," Rhode Island coach Tammi Reiss opened. "It's always a war and a dog fight when we play them. The second half was our half, we got back to what we do discipline wise, and they executed the gameplan to a T. I woke them up a little bit at halftime about what we have to do offensively and taking care of the basketball. Albina getting on the boards and starting us off, she just dominated the boards for us where no one else was going. We rode on her shoulders today. Soph was a one-man show, she was a gnat out there. They did a great job controlling the game."
The Rams shot 44.2% from the field and won the rebounding battle by a 35-27 count.
Davidson had All-Conference First Teamer Charlise Dunn amass 15 points. Kyra Bruyndoncx's nine points were a contributing factor towards the Wildcats winning the bench battle.
The Wildcats forced 18 Rhode Island miscues.
"Today we played a great first half, thought the second half got away from us rebounding wise," Davidson coach Gayle Fulks said. "Proud of how we came out the start that we had. I think that we had the ball in the right people's hands, and I know we'll be better for it moving forward."
Rhode Island scored the game's first basket, but it would not lead for the remainder of the quarter. Syla got a couple of post touches which kicked off the Rams scoring.
Davidson settled in with an 8-0 run, holding Rhode Island scoreless across 3:18 of game action. The run included three different scorers with Dunn's three-point shot off a Kyra Bruyndoncx pass completing the response.
When Syla assisted Vanessa Harris, it got Rhode Island back on the scoreboard and eventually gave way to a pair of three-point field goals from Vital and Aimee Michel, tying the game.
Davidson would get the better end of the last couple of minutes, taking an 18-16 lead into the second period.
Palmire Mbu recorded a couple of baskets in the second quarter as the Rams defense held the Wildcats without a field goal across 2:44, forcing three turnovers in the process.
This placed the Rams narrowly back in front.
While Davidson had a trio of players with at least two fouls it continued to battle, first reclaiming the lead when Edina Strausz made a driving layup off a Rhode Island turnover on two separate occasions and when Bruyndoncx made a three-point shot, it allowed the Wildcats to take command.
Davidson held Rhode Island without a field goal for the final 5:32 of the half, allowing the Wildcats to take a 29-25 edge into the locker room.
Neither team could find its shot early in the third quarter. Rhode Island was contained to a 1-for-10 mark. Despite this, the Rams were able to tie the game, before Davidson responded with four points of its own.
As was the case during Friday's quarterfinal, the third quarter proved to be Syla's evidenced by her 12 points, which outscored Davidson's entire output. Syla ended the quarter with an exclamation point, going through a double team and finishing off the glass to provide Rhode Island a 41-38 advantage.
"I feel like I'm confident with everybody else, so I feel like it is time to be confident in myself," explained Syla. "That's when you just get to turn it on and keep playing as hard as you can."
Rhode Island created some separation in the fourth quarter, rotating the ball until it found Ines Debroise, who buried a three-point shot.
Coming out of Davidson's timeout, Brooklyn Gray fired a midrange shot which found the bottom of the net, separating the teams by eight points.
Vital added a three-point, doing her trademark celebration as it opened up Rhode Island's advantage to double digits for the first time.
Davidson went 5:59 without scoring as Rhode Island had a 12-2 run in the final quarter and
"I didn't recruit defense, but they commit and I make them commit because I get in them on that end," Reiss analyzed. "I'm a defensive coach, but we recruited offense, so they're committed to each other. They figure out a way as a whole and with our game plan and if they commit to it, they're pretty successful. I'm just proud that they bought in and our second goal on the sheet at the beginning of the year was to be the best defense in the A-10. In the fourth quarter it is imperative to get stops, it's best when we are fast coming out of transition."
Rhode Island advances to the championship for the fourth time in program history, most recently advancing for the first time since 2024. It will face either George Mason or Richmond. The game will be televised by ESPN2 and tip off at 4 p.m.
"We had these three goals in the beginning of the season and one of them was to have the best chemistry, to be the most together team and I think it's really showing," determined Vital. "We're staying together and we're really locked in on that one big goal, winning that championship."