Jan. 23, 2008
Box Score
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Four different Rams scored in double figures as the Rhode Island women's basketball team posted an 82-73 overtime victory against Saint Louis, Wednesday night at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center in St. Louis, Mo. Senior Safi Mojidi (Silver Spring, Md.) put up a team-high 24 points while the Rams shot a season-best 53.6 percent (30-56) from the field.
Senior Whitney Hollis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) got things started for the Rams with the game's first basket before Saint Louis used a 6-0 run to take a four-point lead - its largest of the game - with 17:05 on the clock. Hollis was then fouled on the layup that tied things up at 8-8 and sank her free throw to give the Rams a one-point advantage with 15:05 remaining in the half.
Rhody went on to outscore the Billikens, 24-20, over the next 13 minutes to take a seven-point lead (29-22) with just under two minutes to go. SLU (7-12, 2-2 Atlantic 10) followed with a 7-0 push that knotted the score just before halftime, but Mojidi hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send URI into the locker room up by three (32-29).
Redshirt junior Crystal Bellinger (New York, N.Y.) went on to score 13 of her career-high 15 points in the second half, as Rhode Island took its largest lead of the game (12 points) with 13:28 left on the clock. SLU clawed its way back though, and got within three points on five different occasions before finally evening the score (62-62) with 35 seconds to go in regulation.
McGrew used a jumper to put the Rams back on top with 9.6 seconds to go before Theresa Lisch's layup ended the second half in a 64-64 tie.
McGrew went on to score eight points in OT, putting Rhody up 74-71 with 1:42 on the clock. A Saint Louis basket by Katie Paganelli cut the Rams' lead to one before Mojidi was fouled on a layup and hit her free throw to put URI back on top77-73. From there, Hollis connected on three free throws and Mojidi sank a pair to give Rhode Island the 82-73 win.
Hollis (14) and McGrew (19) each finished with season-high point totals while Bellinger dished out a game-high five assists.
The Rams (9-10, 2-2 A-10) return home to host Temple in a nationally televised (CSTV) game, Sunday afternoon (Jan. 27) at 12 p.m. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets, or contact Jaclyn Muns in the URI Sports Marketing office (401-874-2887/jmuns@mail.uri.edu) to make group arrangements.
