Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Team Comes Back To Top Rhode Island, 59-55

Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Team Comes Back To Top Rhode Island, 59-55 KINGSTON, R.I. – The Saint Joseph’s women’s basketball team overcame an 11-point deficit, fighting back to top Rhode Island, 59-55, Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the Hawks as they improved to 13-9 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10. Down by nine at halftime, Saint Joseph’s erased the deficit in a little more than eight minutes as junior guard Katie Kuester hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 39-39 with 11:56 to go. The game remained back and forth until the seven-minute mark as SJU used a 9-0 run to open a 55-46 lead with 4:53 to go. Rhode Island fought back and trailed by just two, 57-55, with 28 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Rams’ Megan Shoniker had her three-point attempt go off the back of the rim, but find the hands of teammate Ajanae Boone with five second remaining. Boone gathered the ball and immediately went up, only to have the ball taken from her by Saint Joseph’s junior Samira Van Grinsven. Van Grinsven would ice the game with a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds left. Rhode Island (6-16, 0-8 A-10) controlled the first half of play, shooting 57.1 percent from the field (16-of-28), while holding the Hawks to just 33.3 percent (10-of-30). Up 21-19, the Rams used an 8-0 run from 7:58 to 5:16 as a free throw by Megan Shoniker put Rhode Island up 29-19. The Rams would extend their lead to as many as 11 and headed into halftime up 36-27. The Hawks finished 20-of-53 from the floor (37.7 percent) and 16-of-20 from the line, while Van Grinsven, classmate Kelly Cavallo and freshman Ilze Gotfrida each scored 10 points apiece. The Hawks return to action at Fordham this Wednesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Rose Hill Gym.