Here’s how Rhode Island women’s basketball opened the A-10 Tournament with a win on Thursday

• The Rams relied on strong defense, holding the Revolutionaries scoreless for significant stretches in the second half.
• URI was led by Harsimran “Honey” Kaur’s double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Ines Debroise added 11 points.
• The Rams advance to face No. 4 seed St. Joseph’s in the quarterfinals, a team they previously defeated in the regular season.

HENRICO, Va. — With Rhode Island struggling on offense Thursday in the Atlantic 10 women’s basketball tournament, the Rams turned to defense for a 52-41 victory over George Washington University.

It was that defense that helped turn a two-point halftime lead to a five-point advantage after three quarters despite not making a field goal. They did, however, make nine of 11 free throws and hold the Revolutionaries to six points in those 10 minutes. The win means a 1:30 p.m. tipoff on Friday against No. 4 St. Joseph’s, a team URI defeated last month.

“You don’t see it very often,” URI coach Tammi Reiss said of not making a field goal in a quarter, although she thinks her team has done it this season. “We hang our hat on defensive. We’re not built as this great offensive team.”

The reason the Rams (17-15 and the fifth seed) increased the lead is because they held the Revolutionaries (13-18, the 12th seed) scoreless for the final 5:15 of the quarter, taking a 38-33 lead after three. The Rams continued that strong defense into the fourth quarter, holding the Revolutionaries scoreless for another 2:01.

“We’re not the best offensive team in the league, but we are a very good defensive team,” Reiss said. “We win games when we defend and rebound. And the difference today, they did that. They stayed locked in no matter how they were shooting, no matter what happened.”

Harsimran “Honey” Kaur, the Rams’ 6-foot-4-inch senior center, had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and junior guard Ines Debroise added 11 points and three assists. Anaelle Dutat, a 6-foot junior forward who leads the Rams with 8 rebounds a game, had 10 to go with six points. Sophia Vital, a sophomore guard, added nine points.

Makayla Andrews had 14 points for GWU, and Kamari Sims added 11.

For the game, URI was 13 for 62 from the field (21%), including 0 for 15 in that third quarter. The Rams, however, held GWU to 30% shooting (15 for 50). The Rams had 18 offensive rebounds, committed a season-low six turnovers to GWU’s 18, and made 21 of 26 free throws (80.8%) while the Revolutionaries went 6 for 12 from the line (50%).

The free throws surprised Reiss.

“You’ll never see that stat for us,” she said. “We will never shoot more free throws than our opponent. We just don’t.”

The two teams met just five days prior, with GWU winning, 54-46, at URI in the regular-season finale. Reiss set three goals for her team in the rematch: Take care of the basketball, force turnovers and limit GWU to 50 points.

“We hit all three game goals today,” she said. “When we do two of three, we always win. When we do one of three or none like we did against GW last game, we don’t win basketball games.”

After GWU tied the game at 33 at 5:15 of the third quarter, URI scored the next eight points for a 41-33 lead with 8:22 to go in the game. GWU responded with basket in the paint and a pair of free throws, but Kaur hit two from the line for a 43-37 lead with 5:50 left. A 3-pointer from senior guard Sophia Phillips (six points) extended the lead to 46-37 with 4:28 left, all but icing the game.

Kaur said she and her teammates didn’t get discouraged when struggling to score. They kept “the main thing the main thing.”

“Defense and rebounding was the main thing for us coming back from the last game,” she said, referring to the loss to GWU.

Debroise said the key was making sure the offense didn’t dictate the defense. They concentrated on getting stops on the defensive end and rebounding.

“We find ways to score,” she said. “If we’re not shooting well or making every shot, we find a way to score and get the win.”

The reward for the win, which snapped a two-game losing streak, is a quarterfinal matchup Friday against third-seeded St. Joseph’s. The teams met once in the regular season, with the Rams prevailing, 70-65, on Feb. 19.

Reiss likes her team’s chances if they hit those goals again.

“That’s what I’m most proud of,” Reiss said. “The team was locked into our game plan, and they executed it for 40 minutes.”