The Rhode Island women’s basketball team won its first game of the season Friday, defeating the Detroit 70-59 in the first game of the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament.
Detroit (2-6) battled with the Rams (1-6) in a first half marked by 11 lead changes, but ultimately fell short of Rhode Island’s attack.
The Rams controlled the game by dominating the boards, outrebounding Detroit 54-36, including 16 offensive rebounds.
Titans senior Senee Shearer finished with 21 points, including five 3-pointers while junior Ellisha Crosby scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Rams senior Kerry Wallack finished with a season-high 13 points and 12 rebounds, making for her second career double-double. Sophomore Brianna Thomas added 10 points of the bench.
Rhode Island’s win halted a five-game losing streak.
The Rams will take the road again to compete with Brown Wednesday at 7 p.m.
GW stomped by Bulldogs
George Washington fell to Georgia 80-60 in the first game of the Georgia State Invitational on Friday.
The Colonials (4-2) competed early on, but the Bulldogs could not be contained as they used an 18-2 run to secure a 33-15 lead with five minutes, 47 seconds remaining, which carried to a 40-23 halftime advantage.
GW looked strong in the second half, shooting nearly 45 percent, but Georgia (7-0) continued to be efficient on offense, shooting 49.2 percent the entire game.
Freshman Hannah Schaible played a solid all-around game for the Colonials with nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
Lady Bulldog Tiaria Griffin scored a game-high 19 points, including 4-of-8 shots from 3-point range. Khaalidah Miller, Halle Washington, Shacobia Barbee and Erika Ford finished in double figures with 14, 12, 11 and 10 points respectively.
George Washington faces Georgetown on Tuesday at 8 p.m..
VCU stars earn honors
Virginia Commonwealth defeated Wagner 87-61 on Sunday afternoon, sweeping the Atlantic 10 women’s basketball awards in the process. Senior Robyn Parks was named the league’s Co-Player of the week while freshman Isis Thorpe was awarded Rookie of the Week honors.
The duo played a key role in the Rams (5-1) victory over the Seahawks. Parks finished the night with a double-double, leading all scorers with 24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Teammates Iris Thorpe and Monna Finney-Smith added 13 points each.
VCU took charge of the game with a 24-3 run to open the second half, giving it a 67-42 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.
Taylor Butigian was the high-scorer for the Seahawks (1-5) with 14 points. Wagner shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor and tallied a season-high 13 assists.
Robert Acer can be reached at [email protected]
