Nov. 17, 2006

NEW ORLEANS - Rhode Island opens the road portion of the 2006-07 schedule this weekend taking on a pair of first-time-opponents. The Rams will face Tulane on Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST in New Orleans and then travel east on Sunday to take on Mississippi at 2:00 p.m.

The Rams fell Tuesday, 82-66, to Boston University, despite a career-high 21 points (including 18 in the first half) on 8-of-15 shooting by sophomore forward Amanda McGrew. Sophomore forward Sierra Cooper came off the bench to compile career-bests with 12 points and 9 boards, while junior guard Safi Mojidi tallied 10 points and 7 assists as three Rams scored in double-digits for the second-straight game.

The Rams started off strong in the first half, opening the game with a 13-6 run, including seven points from McGrew, to lead by seven at the 13:54 mark. Rhode Island took its largest lead of the game, 21-12, with 11:18 to play in the first half on a lay-up by Cooper. The Terriers clawed their way back into the game with a 21-12 run of their own over the next 7:45 to tie the game, 33-33, with 3:22 on the clock. BU would put together a 10-4 run to finish the first period and put the game away with a 19-9 run to start the second half never letting the Rams back in the game.

"We have to work on playing a 40 minute game," said head coach Tom Garrick. "Friday's game isn't as much about Tulane as it is about us and finishing games."

Tuesday was the second time that the Rams built a first half lead, but faded in the second half. In their season opener against Virginia, the Rams led by as many seven points in the first half, but faded in the second half for a 69-56 loss.

Continued Garrick, "If we can put together a full 40 minutes, I feel confident that we can play with anyone on our schedule. I'm interested to see how much we have grown from our first two games."

The Rams return home to host the Rhode Island Invitational on Friday and Saturday, November 24-25. URI opens the tournament taking on Vermont at 12:00 p.m., followed by Central Connecticut and Boston College at 2:00 p.m. Consolation and championship games are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.