• Box Score (PDF)

KINGSTON, R.I. - Rhode Island used a 5-for-6 showing at the free throw line in overtime to eke out the 55-54 win over the La Salle women's basketball squad on Sunday afternoon at the Ryan Center. 

Rookie Amy Griffin led the Explorers (10-8, 1-4 Atlantic 10) with 13 points and pulled down six rebounds. Alicia Cropper was the other Explorer in double figures with 10 points along with six rebounds, six steals and three assists.

URI's Sydney Lewis paced all players with a game-high 14 points and game-high 16 rebounds. Brianna Thomas added 10 points, while the Explorers limited the Rams' leading scorer Charise Wilson to six points.

The Explorers led for all but 20 seconds of the first half, but could not gain a big enough cushion. They led 27-24 at the break, and pushed it to as many as 10 with a 34-24 lead at the 16:35 mark of the second half. The Rams found themselves in foul trouble with six before the under-16 media timeout to give the Explorers that 10-point lead.

The feisty Rams (11-6, 3-2 Atlantic 10), who are one of the league's up-and-coming teams under first-year head coach Daynia La Force, did not back down as they mounted a 15-5 run over the next 8:30 to knot the game at 39-39.

Griffin drained two free throws and Lisa Mintzer added a layup to halt the Rams for the time being and take a 43-39 lead at 5:31. The Rams answered again with a 10-0 spurt over the next 2:05 to take their largest lead of the game at 49-43 with 2:26 on the clock.

The Explorers had an answer this time with seven straight points to take a 50-49 lead. Micahya Owens hit a layup in the paint to cut the deficit to 49-48, and after an Explorer timeout, Rhody had the inbounds. URI's Teneka Whittaker fouled on the inbounds to give the ball back, and Siobhan Beslow converted a putback jumper off of an offensive rebound to go up 50-49 with seven seconds left.

URI's Dominique Ward ran down the court and drew a foul with 2.6 seconds on the clock, draining one of two to force overtime.

Neither team scored in the early going of the overtime period, until URI's Tayra Melendez sank two free throws. Griffin responded with back-to-back layups to put the Explorers up 54-52 at 2:09. 

The Rams' Sydney Lewis drained two freebies at 1:16 to knot the score, but the Explorers were unable to find the net down the stretch. Ward once again drew a foul with seven seconds on the clock, sinking the second of two free throws for the final 55-54 score. The Explorers had one more opportunity after a timeout with 3.7 seconds left, but a three-point attempt was off the mark.

The Explorers shot 31.7 percent overall and continue to struggle from three (2-15; 13.3%) and the free throw line (14-30; 46.7%). The Rams went 34.7 percent overall and just 2-of-11 from three. They made up for it at the free throw line, hitting 19 of 27 for a 70.4 percent clip.

The Explorers forced Rhody into 28 turnovers and committed an uncharacteristic 19 miscues.

La Salle returns home for two games, hosting Saint Louis on Wednesday (1/21) at 7pm and George Washington on Saturday (1/24) at 1pm.