Brown University
1-6
Rhode Island
4-3
Late Free Throws Lift URI Over Women's Basketball, 65-61
12/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
KINGSTON, R.I. – A 7-0 run in a 1:11 span evened the Brown women's basketball team up with Rhode Island, but Samantha Tabakman's free throws with 3.2 seconds to play gave the Rams a 65-61 win at the Ryan Center on Wednesday night.
For the fifth time in 2014-15, Jordin Alexander (Fishers, Ind.) led the Bears in scoring as the junior deposited 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Rebecca Musgrove (Plainview, N.Y.) chipped in with 13 points, including two crucial treys at the end of both halves to draw the Bears close.
Ellise Sharpe (Tipp City, Ohio) and Natalie Ball (Orlando, Fla.) each added six points, while senior captain Sophie Bikofsky (Newton, Mass.) also added six points and recorded 10 rebounds for the second consecutive contest.
Brown also got a solid contribution from freshman Janie White, who tallied five points, eight rebounds, and a career high three blocks before fouling out with 2:20 to play.
Despite struggling from the field early in the opening half and facing a 12-point deficit at 21-9, the Bears found their groove as Megan Reilly's jumper cut the deficit to six.
The Rams extended their lead back up to double digits at 28-18 on Dominique Ward's layup with 3:46 to play in the half, but Brown countered with a 12-2 run in the final minutes to draw even with Rhode Island at 30 as the teams went to the locker room. Sparked by four Rams turnovers in the final minutes, key hustle plays by freshman Savannah Johnson (Fort Washington, Md.) keyed the comeback.
Musgrove's trey with 10 seconds to play after a steal by Reilly knotted the game and drew the Bears even for the first time since the opening tip.
Rhode Island grabbed momentum in the second frame with a 9-2 burst on the strength of seven points from Charise Wilson in the first three minutes.
A noticeable trend thus far this season, Brown continued to battle back and eventually take its only lead of the day on Musgrove's jumper in the lane with 9:10 left to put the Bears up 47-46.
Facing a daunting 61-54 deficit with just 1:25 to play, a trey from Bikofsky and layups from Musgrove and Alexander knotted the game with 10 seconds remaining. Wilson rushed down the court for the Rams and was off the mark with a layup, but Tabakman hauled in a crucial offensive rebound and drew a foul, eventually connecting on both attempts from the line to seal the game.
The Bears return home this weekend as they host the annual Brown Classic at the Pizzitola Sports Center from Dec. 6-7. Brown hosts Sacred Heart on Saturday before facing either Drexel or St. Bonaventure on Sunday.
