Atlantic 10 – 2nd Round
Henrico Sports & Events Center, Glen Allen, VA
Thursday, March 7, 2024
7:30PM
Media
TV: N/A
Online: ESPN +
App: Varsity Network
Previews
Dayton Fan Forum
The University of Rhode Island women’s team open conference tournament play against the Dayton Flyers. After being picked 1st in the preseason A10 polls, the Rams finished a disappointing 6th with a 10-8 record in the conference. Last season, Rhody went 14-2, so there was a bit of a drop off this season. The Rams will be better rested as the the Flyers just played Wednesday night in the opening round of the tournament where they beat the Bonnies by 14.
Dayton enters this game at just 5-13 in conference play. These two teams just squared off less than a week ago, where the Rams won going away in Dayton 77-42. Dayton used to be Rhody’s kryptonite once losing to them 19 times in a row between 2005 & 2022. The Flyers are led by Miami of Ohio transfer Ivy Wolf. The junior guard is leading the team in points with 12 per game & assists with 3 per game. She is an excellent free throw shooter at almost 95%, missing just 2 on the season. Senior guard Destiny Bohanon is second on the team in scoring with just over 10 per game. Junior forward Arianna Smith is leading the team in rebounding at 10.7 boards per game, which is good for 15th in the country. She is also averaging just over 9 points per game.
As for the Rams, they have a balanced scoring attack with 4 players averaging between 11 & 13 points per game. Once again leading the Rams in scoring is senior forward Maye Toure. Her numbers are down from last season, but she is still averaging almost 13 points per game & 7.7 rebounds per game. Second on the team in scoring is Syracuse transfer Teisha Hyman with 11.5 points per game. She is also third on the team in rebounding with 5.7 per game. Running the point is Manhattan transfer Dee Dee Davis. The 6th(!) year senior has been looking for her offense more as the season progresses, scoring double-digits in her last 9 games. She is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 & second on the team is assists with 2.6 per game. Lastly is Sophie Phillips, who comes in at just over 11 points per game. She is the team’s top 3-point shooter, having attempted roughly 150 more than the next closest player. With an increased roll this season, opposing teams put more of a defensive focus on her causing her three-point percentage to be 6.5% less than the previous year. Phillips is just two 3-point buckets away from passing Charise Wilson for most 3s made in a season. She is also the only player in Rams history to have made 70+ 3s in two different seasons.
Can Rhody make a run in the A10 tournament? The winner of this game takes on the 3 seed Saint Joseph’s Friday night at 7:30. The Rams were swept by the Hawks this season. If they happen to squeak by that one they would then probably take on a very good VCU team. Both the Hawks & VCU Rams went 15-3 in conference play. As for the game Thursday night, the Rams held the Flyers to just 23% shooting & they missed all 13 three-point attempts the last time these two teams played. If they play defense anything like that, they should win easily. My prediction URI 70 – Dayton 58. Go Rhody!!
Opponent
Record:
12-18, 5-13 in the A10
7-21, 5-10 in the A10 (Last Season)
Rankings (URI):
NCAA NET: 252 (83)
RPI: 243 (88)
Leaders:
Points – Ivy Wolf 12.0 (Jr., G)
Rebounds – Arianna Smith 10.7 (Jr., F)
Assists – Ivy Wolf 3.4 (Soph., G) (3.1 TO per game)
URI Leaders:
Points – Maye Toure 12.9 (Sr., F)
Rebounds – Maye Toure 7.7 (Jr. F)
Assists – Ines Desbroise 3.2 (Soph., G) (1.3 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 6-27
H: 4-11, A: 1-15, N: 1-1
Most Recent Matchup: 3/2/24 77-42 W at Dayton
Most Recent Win Streak: 2 – URI