The University of Rhode Island women’s basketball team remained at .500 this week by splitting their matchups with St. John’s University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Before the game against St. John’s began, the Rams got the news that head coach Tammi Reiss had to miss the game due to illness. Due to this, associate head coach Adeniyi Amadou stepped in to fulfill her coaching duties on Sunday afternoon at the Ryan Center.

As for the action on the court, it was a tale of two halves that resulted in a 60-45 Red Storm victory. The Rams jumped out to a nine-point lead in the opening 20 minutes and held St. John’s to just 18 points, which marked the fewest points they allowed in any half so far this season. The Red Storm took control in the second half, though, outscoring URI 42-18 on their way to victory.

“For our team, we talked to them about getting better everyday, just one day at a time,” Amadou said. “We learned how to compete today, now we have to learn how to win.”

It was a sloppy start for both sides with five turnovers for each team in the opening seven minutes of action. Rhode Island found a groove offensively late in the first quarter by making its last four field goals to take a 16-12 lead.

With their top scorer, fourth-year forward Harsimran “Honey” Kaur, getting in early foul trouble, the Rams turned to first-year forward Palmeer Mbu off the bench, who provided a spark on both ends of the court with eight first-half points and career-high three blocks.

“We’re in a situation where we look at the group and the way we built the team where it’s going to be by committee,” Amadou said. “Whoever is rolling and going well is playing.”

On the heels of a 6-0 run, URI went into the locker room holding a 27-18 lead. The Rams made sure nothing came easy for the Red Storm, who shot just 23% from the field throughout the opening 20 minutes.

The game was flipped on its head when the Red Storm exploded for a 17-2 run in the final seven minutes of the third quarter. The streak was capped off by third-year guard Jailah Donald knocking down a shot from way beyond the arc as the shot clock expired, which gave St. John’s a 39-33 lead entering the final quarter.

“The mark of good teams, you got to sustain it throughout all four quarters,” Amadou said. “That third quarter was hard to get back.”

The Rams were able to hang around and get within five points with six minutes left, but St. John’s salted the game away with key free throws in the final minutes to secure a 60-45 victory. Performance at the charity stripe was a big story in the game, as the Rams shot just 7-14 from the line compared to the Red Storm’s mark of 16-18.

A silver lining for URI was a standout day for third-year forward Anaelle Dutat on the glass, who had a career-high 17 rebounds. Following the loss, Rhode Island dropped to 2-3 on the season and turned its attention to regrouping on the road against UMass Lowell on Wednesday.

“This group has high upside, but if you look at the composition of the team, it’s a team that has young players not necessarily in terms of age, but in terms of experience,” Amadou said. “All we ask them to do is to make sure that the attitude is right, the enthusiasm is right and the effort is in the right place.”

With Reiss back on the sideline, the Rams led from start to finish in a convincing 81-35 victory over the River Hawks on Wednesday night. Rhode Island matched its offensive output from the loss on Sunday in just the opening half by jumping out to a 45-24 lead.

In the second half, the Rams shined on the defensive end as they held the River Hawks to just 11 points and 4-22 shooting from the field. First-year guard Ayanna Franks had a breakout game with 13 points – the first time she has reached double-digits in her collegiate career – on 6-8 shooting.

Next up, Rhode Island will return to the Ryan Center to take on in-state rival Brown University at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be streamed on ESPN+, with radio broadcasts available on RIU2.org and the Varsity Network.

The post Women’s basketball drop back-to-back home games, rebound at UML first appeared on The Good 5 Cent Cigar.