Rhode Island secured a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title after defeating George Washington 72-48 at the Ryan Center on Saturday. This marks the second time in program history, and the first since the 2022-23 season, that Rhode Island has claimed part of the conference’s regular season championship.
The Rams (25-4, 16-2 Atlantic 10) established an early lead, going up by as many as 20 points in the first half. Brooklyn Gray’s layup midway through the second quarter put Rhode Island ahead 32-12. Although George Washington (15-15, 7-10 Atlantic 10) narrowed the gap late in the second quarter, Rhode Island led 40-25 at halftime.
Rhode Island maintained control in the third quarter, making their last four field goals to take a 61-40 advantage into the final period. Vanessa Harris made a three-pointer from the corner just before time expired in the third.
Palmire Mbu opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets, helping extend Rhode Island’s lead to 25 points. Aimée Michel added a layup with one minute remaining to give Rhode Island its largest lead of the game at 72-46.
Both Rhode Island and George Mason finished conference play with identical records (16-2), resulting in co-championship honors for both teams. However, Rhode Island received the top seed for postseason play due to winning both regular season matchups against George Mason.
Statistically, Rhode Island shot a season-best 61 percent from the field and assisted on 21 of its 31 made baskets—their second-highest assist total this year. The Rams limited George Washington to just one made three-pointer and outscored them by an 18-point margin in points in the paint.
Palmire Mbu led all scorers with 23 points and contributed two rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Brooklyn Gray added 11 points along with three rebounds and two assists. Albina Syla scored ten points and had three rebounds and three assists. Ines Debroise finished with nine points and five assists while Sophia Vital contributed seven points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Off the bench, Vanessa Harris had seven points and Aimee Michel scored four.
As top seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship tournament, Rhode Island advances directly to Friday’s quarterfinals on March 6 at 11 a.m., with coverage available on USA Network and Varsity Network.
