March 7, 2008

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Senior Safi Mojidi (Silver Spring, Md.) recorded her 185th career three-pointer to set a new Rhode Island record and help the women's basketball team to a 61-49 victory over seventh-seeded St. Bonaventure, Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship. Junior Amanda McGrew (Santa Monica, Calif.) led the 10th-seeded Rams with a team-high 12 points and game-best five steals as URI picked up its first A-10 tournament win since 2004.

Mojidi entered the game with 183 career threes, just one behind Dayna Smith, and hit two treys to tie Smith and then take over the #1 spot in the Rhode Island record books.

St. Bonaventure (18-12) held the advantage early on as Katelyn Murray hit her second basket of the game to put the Bonnies up, 9-3, just four minutes into the contest. Rhode Island came back and scored 12 straight points to take a six-point lead (15-9) with 11:15 remaining in the half. The Rams continued their hot shooting and used a 12-7 run to go up 27-16 with 4:04 left in the half. The Bonnies made a late push and outscored URI (8-3) through the rest of the frame cutting Rhody's lead to six (30-24) at the break.

Through the first 20 minutes, redshirt junior Crystal Bellinger (New York, N.Y.) led URI with six points and five rebounds.

In the second frame, Rhode Island (13-17) extended its lead to 12 after McGrew hit a pair of free throws to make the score 40-28 with 14:35 left in the game. St. Bonaventure then tallied ten straight points while keeping the Rams off the board for the next seven minutes to cut URI's lead to two (40-38) with 7:26 to go.

The two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, but the Bonnies were unable to get any closer as Rhody broke away with a 20-10 run to take its largest lead of the game (14 points) with 1:44 remaining in regulation and outlasted SBU for the 61-49 victory.

For the game, URI got 18 points from its bench and committed just 14 turnovers compared to 22 by the Bonnies. SBU held a 40-35 rebounding advantage.

McGrew (12), Bellinger (11) and junior Sierra Cooper (Blairs, Va.) (11) all finished with double-figures in the scoring column while senior Whitney Hollis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Rams on the glass with a team-high seven rebounds.

The Rams return to the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse tomorrow afternoon, to take on second-seeded and nationally-ranked George Washington at 4 p.m.