KINGSTON, RI (3/07/03) - Fifth-seeded and tournament host Rhode Island (15-14) snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Saint Joseph's University women's basketball team (18-10) that dated back to 1996, ousting the top-seeded Hawks in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Ryan Center, 62-49. SJU played arguably its poorest game since the early stages of the year and was outplayed in nearly every facet of the game by the host Rams. Junior Stephanie Graff led the Hawks with 12 points and eight rebounds. "Hustle plays. Effort. We played not to lose and Rhode Island came in playing to win," assessed head coach Cindy Griffin after the game. "You have to give them (Rhode Island) a lot of credit. They got every loose ball. They got every rebound. We were never able to make a run offensively. The game was tied six times and the lead changed hands eight times in the first half, but URI scored the final seven points of the opening period to take charge of the game and led by five at intermission, 27-22. The Crimson and Gray would creep within three points briefly midway through the second period. As a junior Elizabeth Mohan sparked a Hawk stand defensively. Rhodey, though withstood the Hawk surge and connected on 11-12 from the charity stripe late to ice the game. SJU was just 12-21 from the stripe for the game. Both teams struggled from the field with URI shooting 38.0% and St. Joe's hitting at a 31.4% clip. The Rams, however held advantages in nearly every statistical category, including a decisive 44-25 advantage on the boards, including 28-13 in the second half. The Rams also held advantages of 28-18 on points in the pain, 22-6 on points off turnovers and 16-4 on second chance points. "If we're going to go out," said Griffin, I hope this isn't our last go around, because we did not put our best foot forward, today." Denise King led three Rams in double figures with 20 points. Tanya Rhodes added 16 points and 14 boards, while Shayla Johnson had 14. Juniors Irina Krasnoshiok and Amra Mehmedic added nine and eith points, respectively. The loss was a significant one for St. Joe's as it appeared to be all but assured on an NCAA Tournament at-large berth with a win. The loss puts SJU in a precarious position, as it now must wait in limbo until selection Sunday to see if it will earn a NCAA Tourney bid for the first time in three years or gain a second straight WNIT berth.