PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Theodores '25

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - #3 Rhode Island College (28-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (21-8), 56-37, in an NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First Round contest at the Murray Center on the RIC campus on Friday evening.

With the victory Rhode Island College advances to the second round and will face St. John Fisher, which defeated Gettysburg, 55-46, in tonight's earlier first round matchup at the Murray Center, on Saturday at 7:30 PM.

For the Monks, the loss signals the end of the 2023-24 campaign and the collegiate basketball careers of the team's four seniors: Hailey Anderson (Beverly, Mass.), Nina Howe (York, Maine), Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.), and Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine). With the Class of 2024 on the court, the Monks posted a 71-20 (.780) overall record with a 33-4 (.886) mark in GNAC play with a pair of conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Anchorwomen kicked off the contest with nine straight points and held a 9-4 advantage with 3:06 left in the opening quarter when the hosts opened up a 20-point lead on the heels of a 15-0 outbreak. Izabelle Booth capped the run by nailing a pair of three-pointers in a matter of 21 seconds to give her team a 24-4 cushion with 30 seconds to play in the first frame.

Rhode Island College led by 16 (29-13) after Claire Greene made a layup with 2:08 before the break, but the Monks mounted a 15-2 surge spanning the subsequent six minutes of game play to cut their deficit to just three points (31-28) with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter.

RIC held a 38-30 lead going into the fourth period and managed to put the game away with a 9-0 run that saw the hosts claim a 47-30 advantage after Madison Medbury connected on a pair of free throws with 6:55 to play.

Saint Joseph's cut the RIC lead to 12 points (47-35) after sophomore forward Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) made a layup with 5:06 left, but the Anchorwomen finished the contest on a 9-2 run to account for the 56-37 final.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Rhode Island College scored 30 points off 19 turnovers while Saint Joseph's netted only eight points off 18 RIC miscues…The Anchorwomen also held the lead in points in the paint (30-8), fast break points (13-3), and bench points (16-4)…RIC shot 40.4% (21-52) from the field while SJC posted a 27.1% (13-48) mark from the floor…The Monks held the Anchorwomen to just five points in the second quarter, a total that ties RIC's team-low in a quarter for the season

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Ramsdell scored a game-high 15 points with seven rebounds
• Hurley added seven points and nine boards
• Howe chipped in with six points, four assists, four steals, and a pair of caroms

LEADERS – RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE:

• Angelina Nardolillo posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds
• Booth scored 13 points with three rebounds
• Medbury added seven points, four assists, three boards, and three steals
• Sophia Guerrier picked up eight steals with six points, six boards, and a pair of assists
• Olivia Middleton came off the bench to score nine points with three steals, three caroms, and a pair of assists

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:

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