Rhode Island women’s basketball faces tough tests in league play. Here’s the schedule

It won’t take long for the University of Rhode Island women to face some difficult tests in their Atlantic 10 basketball schedule.

The Rams play four of last year’s top five finishers in the league standings in their first 10 games, including a Feb. 2 conference tournament title game rematch at Richmond. URI’s road back to that final league contest of 2024-25 begins with a Dec. 29 home date against Saint Louis at the Ryan Center.

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George Mason visits on Jan. 12 to kick off what could be a tough opening stretch for the Rams. URI plays at VCU and at Duquesne within the next week — the games against the Patriots and Dukes will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. The Rams will play in two of the league’s 40 contests that will be shown on national cable networks.

URI’s showdown with the Spiders comes against a team that swept regular-season and tournament crowns in 2023-24. Richmond finished 29-6 overall and controlled the first three quarters of the conference championship game against the Rams, easing to a 65-51 win. URI upset Saint Joseph’s and took care of the Billikens during a three-game winning streak at Henrico Sports & Events Center.

More: Rhode Island women’s basketball in line for ‘complete reset’ next season

The Rams play three of their next five games against last season’s contenders after taking on the Spiders. Duquesne at home on Feb. 5, George Mason on the road on Feb. 12 and the Hawks at home on Feb. 19 offer a difficult entry into the regular season’s last full month. Saint Joseph’s finished tied with VCU a game behind Richmond in 2023-24, coming up just shy of sharing a piece of the crown.

URI closes with a March 1 home game against George Washington at the Ryan Center. The Rams will be looking to improve upon a 21-14 overall mark last year, one that included just a 10-8 finish in league play. That’s the fewest conference wins in the last four seasons under head coach Tammi Reiss, who has lifted program standards considerably since her hiring ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Game times and other broadcast information will be made available at a later date. Visit gorhody.com for more.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

URI women’s basketball A-10 schedule

Dec. 29 – Saint LouisJan. 2 – at St. BonaventureJan. 8 – at DavidsonJan. 12 – George Mason, CBS Sports NetworkJan. 15 – at VCUJan. 19 – at Duquesne, CBS Sports NetworkJan. 22 – MassachusettsJan. 26 – Loyola ChicagoJan. 29 – at FordhamFeb. 2 – at RichmondFeb. 5 – DuquesneFeb. 8 – DaytonFeb. 12 – at George MasonFeb. 16 – La SalleFeb. 19 – Saint Joseph’sFeb. 23 – at MassachusettsFeb. 26 – at Saint LouisMarch 1 – George Washington