Rhode Island Starters
Mbu, Syla, Gray, Vital, Debroise

Dayton Starters 
Lear, Leung, Madol, Stephens, O'Riordan

How it Happened
Rhode Island kept a game Dayton squad at bay, beating the Flyers 79-66 in front of no fans Sunday afternoon, due to heavy winter storm conditions that made travel dangerous in the Dayton area.

The game stayed closed throughout, but the Rams (19-2, 9-0 Atlantic 10) was able to fend off Dayton after losing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. URI has now won 12 straight games, just one away from the longest winning streak in program history, which happened in 2021-22.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring six ties and five lead changes. The host Flyers (10-10, 3-6 A-10) were led by Ajok Madol's 11 points. Rhode Island used a more balanced approach, as Palmire Mbu (11 points) and Albina Syla (10 points) were in double digits, and Ines Debroise had eight points of her own in the first 20 minutes.

Dayton led 29-26 following an Ajok Madol layup with just under four minutes to go in the first half. Rhody blanked the Flyers over the final 3:57 of the second quarter and finished the half on a 7-0 run. A hoop-and-harm three-point play by Ines Debroise that sent URI into the break ahead 33-29.

The Rams matched their biggest lead of the day when Brooklyn Gray hit a jump shot with 3:59 to go in the third. Her first points of the game put URI ahead 44-38. It started a run for Rhody, as Ta'Viyanna Habib followed with a 3-pointer that extended the lead to nine points. Jumpers by Gray and Palmire Mbu plus a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Habib spurred the Rams to a 54-45 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

After Mbu pushed the lead to 11 points with a layup 40 seconds into the fourth, Dayton reeled off a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 56-52 and forced a Rhody timeout. Layups from Olivia Leung, Nicole Stephens and Fatima Ibrahim keyed the Flyer rally.

Coming out of the timeout, Albina Syla scored in the paint for Rhode Island. Ibrahim responded with a pair of free throws at the other end for Dayton. Syla made 1-of-2 for the Rams for a 59-54 lead, and Shantavia Dawkins did the same for the Flyers to once again make it a four-point game.

Following a Rhody turnover, Maliyah Johnson hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game with 5:44 left. Vanessa Harris hit a pair of free throws to make the score 61-58, but Nicole Stephens came right back with a jumper to once again pull Dayton within one point just before the final media timeout, which came with 4:44 to go.

Rhode Island continued to get to the free throw line, as Sophia Vital made 1-of-2. After a defensive stop, Brooklyn Gray hit two more free throws. Once again, URI's defense forced an empty Dayton possession. This time, Gray hit a layup and was fouled. She completed the three-point play to give the Rams a 67-60 cushion with 3:31 to go.

Dayton sandwiched jump shots by Nayo Lear and Ajok Madol around a Vanessa Harris 3-pointer to trim URI's lead to six points. That was as close as the score got, as Sophia Vital hit a second-chance layup for URI with 52 seconds left that made the score 72-64 and essentially sealed the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Rhode Island won its second straight visit to Dayton, and its fifth in a row against the Flyers overall.
• The Rams had a big advantage at the free throw line, making 21-of-26 from the stripe, compared to 9-for-11 for Dayton.
• URI had just seven turnovers.
• Albina Syla posted her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 7-of-10 from the field.  She already had the double-double by the end of the first half, with 10 points and 10 boards.
• The 11 rebounds matched Syla's career high.
• Palmire Mbu had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
• Brooklyn Gray had 11 points, all of which came in the game's final 14 minutes.
• Ines Debroise finished with 12 points and three assists.
• Vanessa Harris had 11 points and four rebounds.
• Sophia Vital continued to stuff the box score, finishing with seven points, six assists and six rebounds.

Up Next
Rhode Island is back on the road for a game at Fordham on Saturday, Jan. 31. The 2 p.m. tip will stream on ESPN+, with the audio call on the Varsity Network.