RHODE ISLAND vs. RICHMOND
Rhody travels to Richmond for a noontime meeting with the Spiders. URI is 2-12 in the all-time series vs. Richmond, picking up its last win - a 70-68 victory - on Feb. 23, 2003. Since then, Rhody has dropped 11 straight contests. The last time the teams met (Jan. 16, 2011), the Spiders handed the Rams a 66-53 loss at the Ryan Center. In that game, Megan Shoniker and Lara Gaspar led the Rams with 16 points apiece. Shoniker also recorded seven rebounds and a game-best five assists while Kerry Wallack pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
SCOUTING THE SPIDERS
Richmond - which is 16-5 overall and 4-3 in the Atlantic 10 - enters the game with the conference's best field goal percentage (.436), three-point field goal percentage (.393) and free-throw percentage (.820). The Spiders are 8-2 at home this season with their only losses coming to Temple and Virginia. Richmond is led offensively by A-10 leading scorer Abby Oliver (16.8 ppg), Genevieve Okoro (11.9 ppg) and Rachael Bilney (11.6 ppg). Okoro is also the Spiders' top rebounder (7.4 rpg) while Oliver has picked up a team-best 57 assists and 35 steals. Collectively, Richmond is averaging 69.2 points and 38.4 rebounds per game.
CATHY INGLESE vs. RICHMOND
Over her 24+ years as a head coach, Cathy Inglese has turned in a 2-2 record against Richmond, going 1-0 at Vermont, 1-0 at Boston College and 0-2 at Rhode Island.
LAST TIME OUT: XAVIER SHOOTS PAST RHODE ISLAND, 67-57
- With the loss, Rhode Island drops to 1-20 overall and 0-6 in the Atlantic 10. URI also drops to 5-16 in the all-time series vs. Xavier (4-15, 1-5), which snapped an 11-game slide with the victory in Kingston.
- URI shot 46.8% on the afternoon, hitting 22-of-47 attempts from the field and 11-of-13 from the foul line. XU, meanwhile, connected at a 49.0% (25-51) clip and connected on seven three-point attempts.
- The 57-point effort was Rhode Island's best offensive showing since netting 67 points in an overtime loss to Quinnipiac on Dec. 10.
- Rhode Island's loss was the team's 18th in a row, matching the record for the program's longest losing streak which was set back in 1986-87.
- Rhody hit 11-of-13 free throw attempts on the afternoon. It was the first time in 10 games that URI scored in double figures from the foul line.
- After getting off to a slow start and trailing 34-23 at the break, Rhode Island played evenly with Xavier throughout the second frame, outscoring the Musketeers 34-33 over the final 20 minutes of play. Its the second game in a row – and fourth overall – where the Rams trailed by double digits at the break but went on to outscore their opponent in the second half.
- Xavier took its largest lead of the game (13 points, 41-28) early in the second frame, but Rhody stormed back with an 18-8 run that cut it to three (49-46) with 7:41 remaining. However, the Rams were unable to get any closer.
- Ashley Rivera scored in double figures (19p) for the 14th time this season and logged 35+ minutes for the 15th time.
- Emilie Cloutier (12) and Sherrie Session (11) also scored in double figures for the Rams.
