Women's basketball takes Bryant, falls to CCSU in tournament

12/02/08 - The University of Rhode Island women's basketball team evened its record at three apiece after finishing the 2008 Rhody Classic Tournament with a 1-1 record. The Rams defeated Bryant University Friday afternoon and fell to Central Connecticut State University on Saturday. The loss to CCSU snapped a two-game win streak for the Rams and marked Rhody's second home loss of the season.

Sophomore guard Megan Shoniker led the way for Rhode Island, scoring 17 points in each contest. Shoniker earned All-Tournament honors and is now second on her team in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per game. She trails senior guard Sierra Cooper for the team lead, who currently averages 10 points per game.

"I thought Meg broke out of her shooting slump," head coach Tom Garrick said. "Hopefully this is a sign of consistency to come for us."

Rhode Island showed a balanced effort in its victory over Bryant which helped the Rams overcome a 12-point second half deficit. Shoniker contributed a team-high 17 points, while senior forward Tanja Licina added 15 points, pulled down 7 boards and rejected three shots. Junior guard Lindsay Harris also collected nine rebounds, while adding nine points and dishing out three assists.

"We're trying to play as an ensemble cast," Garrick said. "We're really trying to distribute the ball evenly."

Garrick felt the balanced effort was crucial in Rhody's come-from-behind win and feels that the Rams will need to continue to show a team effort if they will be successful down the road.

"We're going to need two or three scorers in double figures every night to be successful," he said.

URI produced much of its offense at the foul line as it connected on a season-high 27 free-throws. The Rams success at the line overshadowed its season-low 30.4 percent effort from the field. Licina tied a Ryan Center record, as she was a perfect 11-11 from the line.

"It's incredibly important," Garrick said. "We're having a difficult time getting the ball into the hole, so it's important to be aggressive and put pressure on the referee."

Rhode Island carried a two-game win streak into Saturday's home game against CCSU, but the Blue Devils' quick start ended any momentum the Rams were enjoying.

Rhody saw its only lead when Cooper nailed consecutive free-throws to open up the game. Central Connecticut then went on a 16-0 run to jump out to a commanding 16-2 advantage. Rhode Island produced little offense in the first half, as the Rams did not hit their first field-goal until just over nine minutes into the contest.

"Unfortunately we got off to a slow start," Garrick said. "And we had an uphill battle from the beginning. We need to do a better job preparing mentally."

Freshman guard/forward Lara Gaspar led her squad through a 6-0 run to cut the deficit down to eight, but the Blue Devils' defense was too much for Rhode Island to handle. Central Connecticut proceeded to outscore the Rams 12-4, pushing its lead back to 16, at 28-12. Rhode Island entered the break trailing by 12, 30-18.

Rhody outscored the Blue Devils, 40-36, in the second half, including a 15-5 run down the stretch that cut the deficit to seven. Nevertheless, CCSU was able to hold on for its third victory of the season, as it ultimately defeated Rhode Island, 66-58.

The Rams are back in action on Wednesday night as they welcome Northeastern University to the Ryan Center. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

"It's a home game against a mid-major team like us," Garrick said. "We want to find consistency offensively and defensively, and we need to start games off better. Every win we can get at this point is important.