URI women's basketball to face the iron of Atlantic 10 at Ryan Center
Article excerpt
The Rams will play single home games against Loyola Chicago and VCU, two teams who have been in the top half in recent seasons.
Four of the top six contenders for the Atlantic 10 crown ultimately won by the University of Rhode Island women visit Kingston next season.
George Mason, Richmond, La Salle and Dayton will come to the Ryan Center and challenge the Rams in 2026-27, their first campaign under new coach Colleen Mullen.
URI and the Patriots both posted 16-2 marks in conference play last year, and the Rams earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament thanks to a win head-to-head. URI then followed by capturing the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, its first in 30 years.
The Spiders closed on game behind that pair at 15-3 and were dethroned after controlling the league for the previous two years. The Explorers finished tied with Philadelphia rival Saint Joseph’s at 10-8 and the Flyers checked in one game behind at 9-9, sitting even with Loyola Chicago.
The Rams played home-and-home with George Mason, La Salle, George Washington, Saint Louis and Fordham. The Revolutionaries finished 7-11 and the Billikens slipped to 5-13. The Bronx version of the Rams couldn’t escape the league basement, closing 2-16.
URI plays single home games against the Ramblers and VCU, two teams who have been in the top half in recent seasons. The Richmond version of the Rams was decimated by injuries last year and dropped to 4-14. They were the only team in the league not to reach double-digit victories overall, closing 8-23.
The Rams play single road games against Davidson, Duquesne, the Hawks and St. Bonaventure. The Wildcats finished fourth in the conference at 12-6 while the Dukes were tied with VCU. Saint Joseph’s was one of five teams in the league that closed with at least 20 wins overall and the Bonnies closed a game over .500 at 17-16.
URI finished 28-5 while rewriting program record books, eventually falling against Alabama in the opening round of March Madness. That was the last game in charge for coach Tammi Reiss, who was hired away to Florida. Mullen was brought in from Albany after posting four 20-wins seasons with the Great Danes during her eight years on campus.
Mullen retained standout guard Sophia Vital and redshirt guard Amori Jarrett, who withdrew from the transfer portal and opted for a return to the Rams. URI’s transfer class to date includes Narragansett native Mia Fiore (Merrimack), double-double threat Queen Ikhiuwu (Wofford) and the Albany quartet of Anais Levasseur, Amaya Stewart, Martina Borrellas and Delanie Hill.
Games dates, times and broadcast information will be released at a later date. The Rams have yet to announce their nonconference schedule, but it’s likely to include the annual rivalry date with Providence and a host of regional matchups.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI women's basketball to face the best of Atlantic 10 at Ryan Center