Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball Falls to Boston University 50-45 in Season-Opener
Nov. 14, 2008
KINGSTON, R.I. - Senior guard Crystal Bellinger scored a team-high 15 points, but it wasn't enough as the Rhode Island women's basketball team dropped its home-opener 50-45 to Boston University.
Nine of Bellinger's (New York, N.Y.) 15 points came in the second half as URI outscored BU 26-20 in the final 20 minutes. Senior Sierra Cooper (Blairs, Va.) pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.
Despite the loss, URI outshot (38-34 percent) and out rebounded (34-33) BU.
The Rams jumped out to a 4-3 advantage with 18:09 to go in the first half, but URI would not re-claim the lead until 8:05 in the second half.
URI trailed at the half 30-19 after shooting 38 percent from the field. The Rams would later find themselves down by 13 points with 19:04 remaining (32-19).
Rhody would then go on an 18-6 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 39-38 lead. Freshman guard Lara Gaspar (Alameda, Calif.) scored five points during that stretch. Gaspar finished the game with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in her first collegiate contest.
Bellinger would then extend URI's lead to five (43-38) with seven minutes remaining as she scored four points in 20 seconds.
BU responded to the Rhody run as it scored 10 points in the final 6:45. The Terriers also held the Rams to just two points for the remainder of the game, which secured the win.
Despite the drought, URI trailed by only three points with just under a minute to go.
URI returns to action on Monday as it travels to Siena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
