Rhode Island

Rhode Island women’s basketball comeback attempt falls short — here’s how it happened

Published

1 year ago

January 12, 2025

Rhode Island women’s basketball comeback attempt falls short — here’s how it happened

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — A missed free throw, a jump ball and a possession arrow pointing the wrong way was merely the final straw.

What came prior to that was largely what doomed the University of Rhode Island women to defeat Sunday afternoon.

George Mason matched its largest lead with 6:23 to play and held on for dear life down the stretch at the Ryan Center. The Rams left too much work to do in too little time and fell to the Patriots, 71-65, in what developed into an Atlantic 10 thriller.

Kennedy Harris and Paula Suarez connected on the clinching free throws inside the final 16 seconds, spreading out what was just a 67-65 lead. It was the second trip to the line for Suarez in the last minute — the first offered a cracked door for URI to steal this one despite falling into a 66-50 hole midway through the fourth quarter.

“Any other game, we don’t come back,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said. “It stays at 15 or 16 and we take the loss, but today they fought. We can build on that.”

Sophia Vital’s driving layup with 22.9 seconds left capped a 15-0 run and brought the Rams within 66-65. URI had a pair of fouls to give and eventually put Suarez on the line to make the first of her two attempts. Louis Volker tied up Harsimran Kaur in the rebounding action when Suarez missed the second, and a whistle for a jump ball gave possession to George Mason with 17.2 seconds left.

“We missed the box out,” Reiss said. “If you hit, contact and hold, she comes over the back. When you don’t hit and are even to the ball, for me, it’s a missed box out.

“You’ve got to get a box out on that. You cannot give up a jump ball or an [offensive] board on that. It’s a teaching moment for them.”

More than a few fans in the crowd of 1,723 disagreed, but the end result was George Mason inbounding with a chance to make it a four-point game. Harris capped off her 18-point effort with a pair of makes at the line and Sophie Phillips missed a 3-pointer at the other end that could have given the Rams a thin final chance.

“We threw the kitchen sink at that team to try to disrupt them,” Reiss said. “It worked to a certain degree, but in the end, players make plays. Volker made a hustle play.”

Suarez’s driving layup was the last field goal of the afternoon for the Patriots, who closed just 3 for 14 down the stretch after a 21-for-43 start. Ines Debroise scored half of her 12 points during the URI run, and Vital missed a 3-pointer from the right corner that could have tied a 66-63 game with 1:08 left.

The Rams opted for the best look available after a timeout with 38.3 seconds to play, and they ultimately never took another shot with a chance to draw even after Vital swooped down the right side.

“There was plenty of time — let’s get the best look,” Reiss said. “And then we’re going to throw our press on.”

George Mason (13-3, 3-2 Atlantic 10) overcame a 3-for-16 start in the first quarter to catch fire in the second. The Patriots built a 34-27 lead on a Suarez drive down the lane, and URI (7-10, 2-2) used a second timeout in 2:01 attempting to stop a 10-for-14 heater. The Rams faced a 36-30 deficit into halftime and found themselves in more trouble when George Mason mounted runs of 9-0 and 10-0 to build a 56-40 cushion with 2:55 left in the third.

“There was so much more game to play,” Harris said. “It was only the first half. I just needed that spark to get me going.”

The Patriots entered solidly in the NCAA Tournament discussion and were coming off a stinging 88-86 loss to defending league champion Richmond. URI had won five straight over George Mason, including a dramatic finish in a 70-68 classic here last season. The Rams have now dropped two in a row, including their only home contest in a five-game stretch that now pivots to road matchups with VCU and Duquesne.

“It’s getting them mentally prepared no matter what,” Reiss said. “This team doesn’t really care. They don’t get too high and don’t get too low.”

GEORGE MASON (71): Zahirah Walton 8-14 4-6 22, Nalani Kaysia 0-4 2-4 2, Kennedy Harris 6-12 3-5 18, Paula Suarez 7-14 5-8 19, Ta’Viyanna Habib 0-4 1-2 1, Trinity Massenberg 0-1 0-0 0, Louis Volker 3-6 0-0 7, Nekhu Mitchell 0-2 2-2 2, Jada Brown 0-0 0-0 0, LeAire Nicks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-57 17-27 71.

RHODE ISLAND (65): Hawa Komara 7-12 0-1 14, Anaelle Dutat 0-3 0-0 0, Harsimran Kaur 8-24 0-0 17, Sophie Phillips 3-8 0-0 8, Sophia Vital 5-10 1-1 12, Ines Debroise 3-6 5-6 12, Palmire Mbu 1-3 0-0 2, Ayanna Franks 0-0 0-0 0, Katie Ledden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 27-66 6-8 65.Halftime — GM, 36-30. 3-point FG — GM 6-12 (Walton 2-2, Harris 3-5, Suarez 0-1, Habib 0-1, Volker 1-2, Mitchell 0-1), RI 5-18 (Dutat 0-1, Kaur 1-5, Phillips 2-6, Vital 1-3, Debroise 1-2, Mbu 0-1). Rebounds — GM 39 (Walton 7), RI 39 (Kaur 14). Assists — GM 11 (Suarez 4), RI 18 (Vital 6).

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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Rhode Island

Governor Garrahy’s Blizzard of ’78 Shirt Lives On – Rhode Island Monthly

Published

7 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Governor Garrahy’s Blizzard of ’78 Shirt Lives On – Rhode Island Monthly

Today marks forty-eight years since the historical storm and the iconic shirt’s first appearance.

Photograph courtesy of the Rhode Island Historical Society

On the morning of Monday, Feb. 6, 1978, snow began falling in Rhode Island and didn’t stop until the following night. Residents woke up on Wednesday to find as many as thirty-eight inches had fallen, by official counts (though some residents reported more than four feet in the northern areas of the state). Cars were abandoned, hospital waiting rooms became shelters, and on Providence’s College Hill, Angell Street was turned into a ski jump. At the State House, Governor J. Joseph Garrahy hunkered down with his staff at the Civil Defense headquarters, eschewing the traditional suit and tie in favor of a red flannel shirt. For several days, he appeared on television broadcasts wearing the red button-down, urging residents to stay home and check on their neighbors — forever cementing his image as the flannel-wearing governor of the people. After the storm, aides mounted the shirt together with “blizzard supplies,” and the Rhode Island Press Club formally presented it to Garrahy during a “Governor’s Night” event later that year. In 2000, he donated it to the Rhode Island Historical Society, where it remains in storage at the John Brown House Museum. Richard Ring, senior director of library and museum collections, says the society also maintains a copy of the diary of William Geffner, former assistant controller at Rhode Island Hospital, who detailed the events of the blizzard at the institution. “We’re always interested in firsthand accounts of historical things,” he says. Ring lived through the storm as a child growing up in Ohio, where the drifts supplied easy building blocks for massive snow forts. This month marks forty-eight years since the Blizzard of ’78.

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Rhode Island

Fire breaks out at iconic Castle Hill Inn in Newport, RI

Published

19 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Fire breaks out at iconic Castle Hill Inn in Newport, RI

Flames could be seen shooting from the roof of the iconic Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, late Thursday night.

The president and CEO of the Newport Restaurant Group, Mick Lamond, confirmed in a statement posted to Facebook that there was a fire at Castle Hill Inn, and first responders were on property actively working to put the fire out.

All guests and staff were evacuated safely, he added. There was no word on any injuries.

The Newport Fire Department tells NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR that firefighters responded around 9:33 p.m. for the fire, with flames and smoke visible on arrival. Video obtained by WJAR shows that the smoke could be seen from the Newport Bridge.

It’s unclear what caused the fire at 590 Ocean Drive, or how much damage has been caused to the seaside resort.

Castle Hill bills itself as one of the premier luxury inns in Newport that offers oceanfront suites, beach cottages, fine dining and unmatched coastal elegance. It had just reopened for dining and lodging at noon last Friday, following their annual winter hiatus from Jan. 4 through Jan. 30.

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Rhode Island

R.I. Senate confirms former majority leader McCaffrey as state judge – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

February 5, 2026

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R.I. Senate confirms former majority leader McCaffrey as state judge – The Boston Globe

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Mathew L. LaMountain, a Warwick Democrat, spoke in support of McCaffrey’s nomination.

“Mr. McCaffrey possesses the experience, the temperament, and the devotion to public service that we seek in our judges,” LaMountain said. “Over the course of his time in the General Assembly, I believe he did more to advance criminal justice reform in the state of Rhode Island than any other single individual who has ever served in these halls.”

Senator Jake Bissaillon, a Providence Democrat and former Senate chief of staff, seconded McCaffrey’s nomination, emphasizing that he spent the bulk of his career as an attorney practicing in District Court. “Despite rumors and innuendo, Michael’s experience most directly aligns with the needs of our justice system in Rhode Island’s District Court,” he said.

Bissaillon said that when McCaffrey chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, he played a key role in creating a veterans treatment court, which connects veterans facing criminal charges with counseling and treatment. And as majority leader, McCaffrey was instrumental in establishing and funding the District Court’s mental health calendar, he said.

“ In between 2011 and 2022, Michael’s work on criminal justice reform was second to none in his chamber,” Bissaillon said.

Senator Dawn Euer, a Newport Democrat, voted against McCaffrey’s nomination, saying his appointment was “a return to politics as usual, where connections matter more than merit and transparency.”

“Unfortunately, his appointment underscores a hard truth: historic efforts to create a merit-based judicial selection system are failing,” she said.

Euer emphasized that state courts wield immense power over daily life, deciding who stays housed through eviction calendars, who is protected through restraining orders, and who can vote.

“The integrity and independence of those courts cannot be treated as a political afterthought, and appointments should not be treated as a political bargaining chip,” she said. “As we face attacks on rule of law, democracy, and civil rights at the federal level, our state courts will be the frontlines protecting Rhode Islanders.”

Senator Samuel W. Bell, a Providence Democrat, voted for McCaffrey’s nomination although he had voted against McCaffrey as a Senate leader in the past because of his conservative views on abortion, LGBTQ rights, and guns.

Bell suggested that McCaffrey’s views on those issues have evolved over time, and he said, “There are two areas where he has always had solid progressive views, even when the rest of his views were much more conservative, and those just happen to be criminal justice and civil law.”

Bell said many of his constituents are concerned McCaffrey could some day become a Rhode Island Supreme Court justice. “It was very important to my constituents that when we get a Supreme Court nominee, they not only be willing to express support for LGBTQ rights and abortion rights, but actually be willing to demonstrate (that support).”

Besides Euer, those voting against McCaffrey were Democratic Senators Jonathon Acosta of Central Falls, Meghan E. Kallman of Pawtucket, Tiara T. Mack of Providence, Linda L. Ujifusa of Portsmouth, Bridget Valverde of North Kingstown, Lammis J. Vargas of Cranston, and Samuel D. Zurier of Providence.

Senator Walter S. Felag Jr., a Warren Democrat, recused himself from the vote because McCaffrey has represented him as an attorney. Senators Ryan W. Pearson, a Cumberland Democrat, and Senator Victoria Gu, a Westerly Democrat, were not present for the vote.

On Jan. 28, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 1 to recommend McCaffrey’s confirmation, with Euer casting the lone “no” vote.

In 2022, McCaffrey announced he would not seek reelection after 28 years in the Senate. At the time, he was seen as a potential successor to then-Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, who died in April.

McCaffrey served as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman before becoming Senate majority leader. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1989 and is now a partner in the McCaffrey & McCaffrey law firm in Warwick.

By a vote of 35 to 1, the Senate also confirmed Shannon G. Signore for the state Superior Court seat left vacant by the retirement of Judge Daniel A. Procaccini. Senator Tiara Mack, a Providence Democrat, cast the lone “no” vote.

Signore has worked in the state attorney general’s office since 2002, and is now an assistant attorney general in the Special Victims Unit. She was a 2016 Beau Biden Foundation Fellow, and was recognized with the Crime Victim Service Award in 2019.

By a vote of 36 to 0, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Family Court Magistrate Alberto Aponte Cardona Sr. for the Family Court judgeship left vacant by the retirement of Judge Patricia K. Asquith.

Cardona was the first Latino appointed to the Family Court bench in 2019, and previously served as commissioner of the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. He was an associate justice in the Central Falls Municipal Court.

By a vote of 35 to 1, the Senate also confirmed the nomination of Family Court Magistrate Andrea Iannazzi for the Family Court judgeship left vacant by the retirement of Judge Debra E. DiSegna. Senator Samuel W. Bell, a Providence Democrat, cast the lone “no” vote.

Iannazzi has been presiding over domestic, child welfare, juvenile justice, and child support cases. She previously worked as a staff lawyer and mediator in the Rhode Island Family Court system, and served on the Cranston School Committee for a decade. She was deputy executive counsel to former governor Gina M. Raimondo.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.

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