The Rhode Island Rams put three players in double figures Sunday afternoon, and held off a late rally by the Maine Black to pick up a 45-44 non-conference women’s basketball win at the Augusta Civic Center.
Rhode Island (9-3), out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, led the entire first quarter scoring the first five points of the game and holding a 12-8 advantage after 10 minutes. Maine took their first lead of the day on an Anne Simon jumper early in the second, but a 6-2 Rams run to end the first half had the guests up 23-22 at the break. The teams exchanged leads in the third, and URI would hold a slim 32-30 edge headed to the fourth. A 6-0 Rhode Island run extended it to the biggest lead of the afternoon at 40-33 with 6:18 left to play, but a 6-0 Black Bears spurt over the next 2:18 cut it to 40-39. Simon would tie it 42-42 on a three-pointer with 3 minutes remaining. A Chanell Williams jumper gave the Rams back a two point lead, before a 1-2 effort from the line by Maeve Carroll sliced it to 44-43 with 1:56 to go. Marie-Paule Foppossi also hit 1-2 from the line to make it 45-43 URI with 20 seconds showing on the clock. Simon was fouled in the lane and had a chance to tie it for Maine who was into the bonus with 1.7 seconds left, and would make the first and miss the second one. Rhode Island lost the rebound out of bounds to give the hosts one more chance, but a last effort three-pointer by Caroline Bornemann at the buzzer came up empty as the Black Bears dropped their fourth straight game and are still winless at home (0-4).
Simon led the way in the loss with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Freshman Bailey Wilborn had nine points and four rebounds, and Maeve Caroll chipped in seven points and 11 rebounds. Maine (2-7) shot just 30% from the floor and 5-26 (19%) from the three-point arc. Dolly Cairns had 14 points for Rhode Island, Foppossi had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Williams had 10 points. The Black Bears picked up a technical foul at the beginning of the game because the Augusta Civic Center doesn’t have a backboard that lights up, resulting in a made technical foul shot by Williams to begin action. Maine is back at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor next Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. as they battle the Big Green from Dartmouth.
