Coming into last night’s contest URI found themselves firmly planted on the NCAA tournament bubble and many had them as the First Four out to miss this year’s big dance. There was zero margin for error.
Tammi Reiss and her Lady Rams took care of business to keep their tournament candle burning strong as they downed A-10 opponent St. Bonaventure 67-54 in an emotional Senior Night from the Ryan Center.
Speaking of seniors, Marie-Paule Foppossi led the charge scoring 23 points on 8 for 14 shooting.
Rhode Island shot 48.5 percent from the field in the first half, and had a 7-0 edge in second-chance points thanks to an 18-12 rebounding advantage – which included eight offensive boards.
After the break, the Bonnies fought their way back, making it a one-possession game on a trey by Tori Harris that cut URI’s lead to 43-40. Rhody’s defense responded by holding the Bonnies without a field goal for the next four minutes, and Foppossi scored the final five points of the quarter to send Rhode Island into the fourth leading 56-46.
The Rams led by double digits the rest of the way, pushing the advantage to as many as 17 (66-49) on a fast break basket by Chanell Williams with two and a half minutes left in the game.
Next up, URI will wrap up a historic 22 win season as the face league leader Dayton on the road before heading to their conference tournament.
