University of Rhode Island Press Release Rhode Island Starters Phillips, Debroise, Komara, Dutat, Kaur Stonehill Starters Elkis, Paquette, Hayward, Stapleton, Swider How it Happened Rhode Island Women’s Basketball opened up its 2024-25 season with a resounding 68-45 victory over Stonehill on Monday night at the Ryan Center. The Rams (1-0) were led by a pair of double-doubles from center Harsimran “Honey” Kaur (19 points, 11 rebounds) and forward Hawa Komara (10 points, 13 rebounds) to stay in front of the visiting Skyhawks for all but three and a half minutes of the game. The first half was close at the start, with the Rams up 14-12 at the end of the opening quarter. Eventually, URI found some momentum and used 4-of-5 shooting to build a six point lead at 29-23 with three minutes to go. The defense forced the Skyhawks (0-1) to turn the ball over four times in the spurt as the team continued to pull away for a 37-23 advantage at the half. Kaur matched her career high of four blocks in the opening 20 minutes, leading a backcourt effort that limited Stonehill to a 33.3 shooting percentage. Rhode Island kept its visitors at an arm’s length after the break, slowly widening the gap to nearly 20 points after a Sophie Phillips trey and a pair of free throws by Kaur put the team up 55-37 to end the third quarter. A pair of layups from Komara and Kaur kicked off the fourth quarter by pushing the Rams past the 20-point mark at 59-37. Though Rhody was never in danger of relinquishing its lead, both sides’ offenses cooled off down the stretch as there were nearly two full minutes of scoreless basketball. Stonehill continued to struggle with turnovers as the night wound down, committing 25 total while the Rams secured the win. Inside the Box Score Rhode Island’s scoring was well-balanced, with three different players pouring in double-digit points. Center Harsimran “Honey” Kaur led the way with 19, followed by 15 from guard Sophie Phillips and 10 from forward Hawa Komara. Komara’s game-high 13 rebounds led her to the first double-double of her career. Guard Ayanna Franks made her collegiate debut and was first off the bench. She finished with a team-best three steals, three points and one rebound. Guard Sophie Phillips shot 2-for-6 from beyond the arc, as part of a 4-for-17 effort by URI. Guard Ines Debroise dished out a game-high seven assists to go along with eight points, three rebounds and two steals. Forward Mary-Kate Tshibuabua also made her collegiate debut, contributing two points while grabbing four boards. The Rams had a 51-34 advantage on the glass, which included a 22-8 edge in offensive rebounds. All 10 dressed players made appearances. Rhode Island has now won four season openers under head coach Tammi Reiss. Up Next Rhode Island will hit the road for a game at UAlbany on Friday, Nov. 8. Guard Sophie Phillips will face off against her twin sister, Lilly, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Categories: College Sports, Sports Tags: University of Rhode Island, URI Rams