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Women's Basketball
Rams Fall to Central Connecticut, 66-58, in Rhody Classic Finale
Nov. 29, 2008
KINGSTON, R.I. - Sophomore Megan Shoniker (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Rams in scoring for the second consecutive day as the Rhode Island women's basketball team was defeated by Central Connecticut, 66-58, Saturday afternoon in the the final game of the 2008 Rhody Classic. Shoniker finished with 17 points en route to earning All-Tournament honors. The loss evened URI's record at 3-3 on the season while CCSU also moved to 3-3 with the win. For Rhody, freshman Lara Gaspar (Spa, Belgium) was second on the team in scoring, netting a career-high 12 points while senior Tajna Licina (Belgrade, Serbia) had seven points and six rebounds. Junior guard Janae Miller (Alameda, Calif.), meanwhile, recorded a game high-four assists with zero turnovers in 19 minutes of action. Central Connecticut jumped out to a 16-2 lead over the game's first nine minutes, with the Rams not connecting on a field goal for the first 9:05. Rhody had its only lead of the game when senior Sierra Cooper (Blairs, Va.) opened the scoring with back-to-back free throws a minute and a half into the action. A jumper by Gaspar sparked a 6-0 Rhode Island push over the next two minutes, making the score 16-8 before CCSU's defense locked back down to force three URI turnovers and four missed shots over the next six minutes. Central Connecticut's Jhanay Harris, meanwhile, used a shot from beyond the arc to cap a 12-4 streak that extended CCSU's advantage to 16 (28-12) with 2:47 to go in the half. Shoniker hit a pair of jumpers down the stretch, but the early scoring drought sent the Rams into halftime trailing, 18-30. Central Connecticut maintained the double-digit margin through much of the second frame, going up by as many as 19 (47-28) and holding on to an 18-point lead (55-37) with 5:45 remaining in the game. The Rams used a late 15-5 run to pull to within seven (59-52) after senior Ebony Evans (Washington, D.C.) made good on a pair of foul shots but it was as close as Rhode Island would get as the Blue Devils held on for the 66-58 win. Rhode Island returns to action on Wednesday night when they host Northeastern at 7 p.m. 2008 Rhody Classic All-Tournament Team 2008 Rhody Classic Most Outstanding Player
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