HENRICO, Va. â After the best start to the season in program history, St. Josephâs Atlantic 10 title hopes came to an abrupt end Friday night, suffering a 57-47 upset by Rhode Island in the quarterfinals.
The No. 6-seeded Rams (20-13, 11-8 A-10) advance to the tournament semifinals, while the Hawksâ chances of a trip to the NCAA Tournament are all but dashed. Instead, St. Joeâs (26-5, 15-4) seems destined for the WNIT for the second straight year.
St. Joeâs swept the regular-season series against Rhode Island, but the Rams rallied late in the two narrow finishes. This time, it was the Hawks who trailed for most of the game, and though they clawed within striking distance on multiple occasions, the Rams just wouldnât yield.
While the Hawks showed resilience, they were doomed by streaky shooting. Down by five in the final minute, St. Joeâs had two looks from three to make it a one-possession game, but couldnât make the shots when they counted.
While St. Joeâs entered the game with one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, ranking seventh in the NCAA in scoring defense, Rhode Island had them figured out. The Rams shot 42% from the field, with Dee Dee Davis pouring in 22 points.
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Down early
St. Joeâs got off to a less-than-ideal start. While it seemed like the Hawks could barely buy a basket â blowing layups and popping threes out of the basket â Rhode Island was having no trouble at the other end. The Rams went 7-of-13 from the field in the first period to sink St. Joeâs into an eight-point deficit.
Rhode Islandâs hot streak didnât last forever. The Rams missed all six of their shots from three in the second quarter, and the Hawks rallied to within one.
A Laura Ziegler three gave the Hawks their first lead of the game 4 minutes, 18 seconds before halftime.
Streaky shooting
Coming out of the locker room hanging onto a two-point lead, St. Joeâs quickly found itself behind again.
Rhode Island shot 47.1% from the field in the third quarter and built a seven-point advantage with 7:25 remaining, helped by St. Joeâs missing its first four attempts from long-range in the half.
Emma Boslet, coming off the bench, hit a clutch three with 6:32 remaining to keep the game within reach. But the Rams always seemed to have an answer.
Ziegler led St. Joeâs with 12 points, while Chloe Welch added 11 points and five rebounds. The Rams held Talya Brugler, the Hawksâ leading scorer, to nine points.
Whatâs next?
The Hawks will await their postseason fate on Selection Sunday on March 17, when NCAA and the WNIT will announce the fields. NCAA Tournament brackets will be revealed on 8 p.m. on ESPN, and the WNIT will follow shortly after.