KINGSTON, R.I. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team fell to Rhode Island, 70-65, inside the Thomas M. Ryan Center on Wednesday.
Rhian Stokes and
Laura Ziegler each paced the Hawks with 15 points on the evening.
Mackenzie Smith added 11 points in the defeat.
Rhode Island (15-13, 10-5 Atlantic 10) was led by Harsimran Kaur with 19 points. Sophia Vital added 11 points and six assists as five Rams finished in double-digits.
Five lead changes and seven ties encompassed the first 20 minutes in a back-and-forth battle between the teams. Saint Joseph's (20-6, 11-4 Atlantic 10) overcame 10 first-half turnovers by shooting 54.2 percent in the opening half, including a banked three-point shot from
Aleah Snead to notch the game at 32-32 headed into the break.
The Hawks led by six in the fourth quarter after a three on the opening possession pushed the advantage to 58-52. The Hawks went cold though as they finished 1-11 from the field over the final nine minutes, while Rhode Island was able to overcome the deficit to earn a 70-65 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stokes matched her career-high with 15 points, knocking down six of her seven attempts.
- Ziegler added nine assists and six rebounds to her 15 points.
- Smith reached 500 career rebounds, becoming the 26th Hawk to eclipse the mark.
- Talya Brugler finished with nine points, and is now 12 points shy of Kim Foley (1985-89) for fifth-most in program history.
- The Hawks finished 24-48 (50 percent) from the field, 7-13 (53.8 percent) from distance and 10-11 (90.9 percent) from the free throw line. St. Joe's assisted on 18 of its 24 made baskets for a 74 percent clip.
- Rhode Island finished 26-50 (50.9 percent) from the field, the third-highest output this season. The Rams' 50 percent shooting on 16 attempts from three matched a season-high.
UP NEXT
The Hawks return to Hagan Arena on Sunday, February 23, as St. Joe's hosts George Mason. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m on ESPNU.
