Kingston, R.I.-Senior guard Ashley O'Dell (Lincoln, RI) recorded a team-high 14 points, including 12 in the first half, to go along with four rebounds and three steals, while senior forward Melanie Cline (Glocester, RI) scored a career-high 10 points, as the Rhode Island College women's basketball team fell to the Div. I University of Rhode Island, 89-60, on Sunday afternoon at the Ryan Center in non-conference action.

In the first meeting between these two programs since 1978, freshman forward Samantha Tabakman (Pompton Plains, NJ) led the Rams with 21 points, all in the first half, on 9-of-12 shooting to help the University of Rhode Island improve their record to 5-6. Senior forward Lara Gaspar (Spa, Belgium) added 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with seven assists and six rebounds for the Rams, who led from wire-to-wire on Sunday.

 Meanwhile, despite an impressive showings from both O'Dell and Cline, Rhode Island College falls to 6-3 on the season with the loss and sees its three-game winning streak come to an end.   

 After the Rams surged ahead for an early 8-0 run in the opening minutes of action, the Anchorwomen bounced back to cut the deficit to five after O'Dell connected on a layup with 15:11 on the clock and made it, 11-6. Rhody quickly pulled ahead by as many as 12 over the next few minutes, but then watched as Rhode Island College rattled off seven unanswered points to make it, 25-20, after a basket from freshman forward Vandell Andrade (Providence, RI) capped off the run with 8:46 remaining in the frame. However, the Rams responded to RIC's rally with a flurry of points in the paint to close out the first half on a 28-7 run, giving the hosts a 26-point lead heading into the break.

 Keyed by a monster first half from Tabakman, Rhody outscored the Anchorwomen, 36-10, in the paint and outrebounded the visitors, 23-14, during the first 20 minutes. The Rams also connected on 62 percent of their shots (23-for-37), while RIC shot just 33 percent (10-for-30) in the first frame.

 The Rams went on to outscore the Anchorwomen, 36-33, in the second half as their size and athleticism helped thwart RIC's attempt at a comeback. In total, Rhody finished with 60 points in the paint, compared to just 18 for Rhode Island College, and held a 36-28 advantage on the glass. The hosts also handed out 28 assists as a team and finished with 20 fast break points and 28 points off turnovers.

 The Anchorwomen shot just 38 percent from the field (21-for-56) and 31 percent from downtown (5-for-16), while Rhody hit 63 percent (40-for-64) of its shots from the floor and 44 percent of its shots (4-for-9) from downtown.

 Freshman guard Tayra Melendez (Mattapan, MA) totaled 14 points, three steals and two blocks, while senior guard Ajanae Boone (Roslyn, PA) contributed with 13 points and four rebounds. Junior guard Kerry Wallack (Madison, CT) chipped in with four points, six assists, and six rebounds off the bench to help pace the Rams in the second half.

 On the other end, sophomore point guard Megan Sewall (Portsmouth, RI) finished with 10 points and four assists for RIC, while junior guard Stephanie Prusko (Lincoln, RI) added seven points off the bench for RIC. Andrade led the Anchorwomen with a team-high six rebounds.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will travel to Johnson & Wales on Wednesday, Dec. 19 (5:30 p.m.)