Yahoo Autos URI women's basketball remains unbeaten in A-10. Loyola Chicago is the latest victim
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — This is starting to look familiar.
Loyola Chicago was the latest Ryan Center visitor to be outclassed by the University of Rhode Island. The lone remaining unbeaten women's basketball team in Atlantic 10 play is proving rather difficult to stop.
Thursday’s road test at Saint Louis was followed by a Sunday afternoon stroll against the Ramblers. The Rams led throughout and played smothering defense in a 63-34 triumph, their latest in an ever-growing series.
Mayé Touré racked up a sixth straight double-double with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Sophie Phillips added 12 points off the bench and Dolly Cairns returned to the starting lineup for the first time in more than a month with 10. Loyola Chicago shot just 19.6% from the floor and endured a drought of more than 10 minutes without a made field goal.
“We laid down and just let Saint Louis punch us in the first quarter,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said. “We didn’t do that today. Right from jump, I felt really good.”
The Billikens pushed and threatened for the opening 30 minutes, but URI eventually pulled away to win by 11. There was no such drama in this one — the Ramblers were scoreless over the final 6:26 of the first half, and a nine-point game turned into a 30-point shelling with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter.
“I think it started on defense,” Touré said. “We were playing good, disciplined team defense. We just had to finish the plays and box out and get the ball.”
Massachusetts took out Saint Joseph’s on Saturday and George Washington upended Fordham earlier in the week to leave the Rams with sole possession of first place in the conference. All they needed to do at the Ryan Center was handle a rebuilder that has now dropped four in a row.
Here’s how URI kept the good times rolling.
Rams kept the Ramblers from rolling
The Rams never allowed Loyola Chicago to find some offensive rhythm.
The Ramblers endured a 1-for-17 stretch from the field — the lone make was a wing 3-pointer from Mallory Ramage midway through the third quarter. What was a 22-13 game quickly unraveled into a blowout.
“I felt good from shootaround this morning,” Reiss said. “I think we were really prepared. We had a great game plan, and they had energy.”
URI (14-3, 5-0 Atlantic 10) held Loyola Chicago to 28.6% shooting or worse in each of the game’s four quarters. Ramage topped the visitors with a modest seven points off the bench. They managed only six assists, committed 16 turnovers and didn’t block a shot.
This matches a season-low point total against the Rams, as Hartford collected just 34 in a Dec. 7 defeat. The Hawks are in the process of moving down to Division III — the Ramblers (6-12, 1-4) are in their first year under coach Allison Guth. She’s a former Loyola Chicago assistant who won 99 games in her previous six seasons as the head coach at Yale.
Rhode Island was all over the glass
Touré helped the Rams dominate the glass by a count of 56-32.
URI enjoyed a 20-0 shutout on second-chance points and doubled up the Ramblers by a count of 30-16 on points in the paint. Anaelle Dutat added 13 boards in just 19 minutes, one off her career high.
“I try to focus more on the rebounding,” Touré said. “To me, I think that’s the hardest part. When you get tired it’s hard to keep being physical.
“I really try to focus on that, because I know that helps the team, too. Then try to be solid on offense.”
Touré is the reigning league Player of the Week and could be in line for some major season-ending conference honors in March. She hit double-digit boards in just two of her first 11 games but is now up to 8.1 per game on the season.
“It’s what we emphasized coming out of Saint Louis,” Reiss said. “We did not rebound the ball well. We did not go to the glass with energy and effort.”
Cairns moves up on Rams 3-pointers list
Cairns returned to the starting lineup for the first time since a Dec. 11 win at Quinnipiac.
She missed four games while in the concussion protocol and came off the bench in her last two. Cairns netted the first field goal for the Rams and moved to sixth all-time in program history in 3-point makes, passing former teammate Marta Vargas with 123.
“It only takes one person to make that first punch,” Cairns said. “I just tried to be that person.”
Cairns missed road losses to Wake Forest and Princeton wrapping up nonconference play. She also sat out league wins against Duquesne and the Minutewomen before returning in a 70-59 triumph over La Salle. Phillips dropped to the bench and was an efficient 5-for-9 with no turnovers in 18 minutes.
“[Cairns] had some really, really good practices leading up to Saint Louis,” Reiss said. “I talked to her and Sophie and told them probably this game Dolly would be back, and we’d be good to go.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI women's basketball smothers Loyola-Chicago, still unbeaten in A-10
