SOUTH KINGSTOWN — How was this only a five-point game the first time around?
It’s a question Tammi Reiss posed to her team while preparing for a Wednesday evening matchup with VCU. The University of Rhode Island women responded in what has become typical fashion.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis host version of the Rams was all over the visitors from the opening tip. URI continues to set a blistering pace both overall and in Atlantic 10 play thanks to this 85-42 drubbing, the largest margin it has enjoyed against a Division I opponent this season.
URI led by 23 points after one quarter and by 51 on an Eva Agba layup with 6:35 to play in the fourth. It was a demolition authored by a program on a 16-game winning streak and off to a 13-0 start in league play. The Rams have never been on this sort of run previously, and they clinched at least a top-four seed in March’s conference tournament with five games to play.
“They’ve got the best team chemistry I’ve seen,” Reiss said. “They trust each other and they play for each other. That’s the most important component.”
Sophie Vital goes up for a layup against VCU on Wednesday.URI grinded to a 46-41 win at VCU on Jan. 14, one that took the Siegel Center visitors on that occasion to 6-0 in the league. It came before coach Beth O’Boyle was fired and in the midst of VCU losing three of the program’s top seven scorers due to injury. It also preceded URI winning five of its next seven games by double figures, including a 74-43 hammering of Saint Louis here on Sunday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I give it to our team,” Reiss said. “They prepared. They were disciplined. They executed the game plan to perfection. Just really proud of them.”
URI women have big game ahead
Any thoughts of a letdown with a weekend headliner at George Mason looming were quickly erased. URI opened on a 14-0 blitz and the game was just about over before the majority of the 1,029 fans settled into their seats. Brooklyn Gray forced a VCU timeout with a 3-pointer and Palmire Mbu followed with another out high to cap the run, which finally ended at the 5:19 mark.
“It’s a different player every game,” Reiss said. “It’s a different way every game. That’s when you know you have a deep team and a versatile team.”
Vanessa Harris, right, heads to the hoop vs. the VCU defense on Wednesday. Harris led the Rams with 16 points in the win.URI’s only real wobble occurred while missing its first six shots of the third quarter, but the Rams had the presence of mind to keep attacking the rim. They closed 9-for-10 from the foul line over those 10 minutes, and the offense from the field eventually reignited. Albina Syla’s three-point play on a putback made it a 68-26 lead with 1:08 left, and from there the only thing in question was margin of victory.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“You're successful when the players lead and they hold each other accountable, and our team does that now,” Reiss said. “They all do it — now just one or two. They all have voices.”
Rams hold firm to first place
URI (22-2, 13-0 Atlantic 10) remained a game ahead of the Patriots and Richmond in the loss column with the victory. George Mason and the Spiders are 11-1, and the Rams pinned that lone loss on Richmond here. That trio has broken away from Davidson and Loyola Chicago, who both sit four games behind the Patriots and Spiders in the loss column at 8-5.
George Mason could change that order with a Saturday victory in a 3 p.m. start. The Patriots won the conference tournament last year and secured the corresponding NCAA Tournament bid. That’s a place URI hasn’t visited since 1995-96, and avoiding an upset here against VCU brought URI another step closer to ending that drought.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It’s just a whole lot of fun right now — our whole group,” Reiss said. “Everybody. Our scout [team], our managers, our fans — it's just a vibe. And it’s a fun vibe.”
VCU (42): Ann Zachariah 0-2 0-0 0, Lucia Sotelo 2-2 0-0 4, Katarina Knezevic 1-8 0-0 2, Cyriah Griffin 3-17 0-0 6, Laia Crespin 0-6 0-0 0, Ty Williams 2-9 1-2 6, Lucy Ghaifan 3-4 1-3 7, Makennah White 2-9 4-4 8, Hawa Doumbouya 1-1 2-2 4, Tanya Tkachenko 2-3 0-0 5, Isabel Whitelaw 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 16-63 8-11 42.
RHODE ISLAND (85): Palmire Mbu 5-7 3-4 14, Albina Syla 3-9 3-3 9, Brooklyn Gray 4-10 0-0 12, Sophia Vital 4-7 0-0 8, Ines Debroise 6-13 2-2 15, Vanessa Harris 5-13 5-7 16, Valentina Ojeda 3-4 0-1 7, Mary-Kate Tshibuabua 1-2 0-0 2, Ta’Viyanna Habib 0-1 0-0 0, Aimee Michel 0-0 0-0 0, Eva Agba 1-2 0-0 2, Lilyana Fontcha 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 32-68 13-17 85.
Halftime — RI, 45-17. 3-point FG — V 2-25 (Knezevic 0-2, Griffin 0-8, Crespin 0-4, Williams 1-4, White 0-3, Tkachenko 1-2, Whitelaw 0-2), RI 8-22 (Mbu 1-2, Gray 4-8, Vital 0-1, Debroise 1-3, Harris 1-4, Ojeda 1-2, Habib 0-1, Agba 0-1). Rebounds — V 38 (Knezevic 10), RI 51 (Syla 10). Assists — V 7 (Knezevic 2, Griffin 2, Crespin 2), RI 15 (Vital 7). Turnovers — V 13 (Knezevic 3), RI 6 (Debroise 2, Harris 2). Blocked shots — V 2 (White 1, Doumbouya 1), RI 5 (Mbu 2, Syla 2). Steals — V 5 (Knezevic 2, Williams 2), RI 7 (Debroise 3). Attendance — 1,072.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI women crush VCU, 85-42, remain undefeated in A-10 on Feb. 11, 2026
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