Rhody Leads Early, Falters Late

Rhody Starters:
Corinne Coia, Emilie Cloutier, Chari Lehnertz, Ashley Rivera, Sherrie Session

Lehigh Starters:
Emily Gratch, Alexa Williams, Aly Byorick, Hilary Weaver, Katie O’Reilly

Rhody Leaders:
Points: Sherrie Session (17)
Rebounds: Sherrie Session (14)
Assists: Emilie Cloutier (3), Sherrie Session (3), Teneka Whittaker (3)
Steals: Teneka Whittaker (3)
Blocked Shots: Sherrie Session (1), Marie Byrnes (1)
Minutes Played: Sherrie Session (40)

Lehigh Leaders:
Points: Alexa Williams (13)
Rebounds: Emily Gratch (11)
Assists: Hilary Weaver (13)
Steals: Aly Byorick (3)
Blocked Shots: Aly Byorick (2)
Minutes Played: Emily Gratch (35)

Inside the Box Score:

• With the loss, Rhode Island drops to 1-12. Lehigh improves to 7-6. The 1-12 start marks Rhody’s slowest start to a season since 1999-2000 when the team opened the season with 16 consecutive losses.
• As a team, URI finished 45.1% (23-51) from the field while Lehigh shot 36.1% (20-55) on the night.
• Both teams recorded 37 rebounds but Lehigh outscored Rhody in the paint, 24-16. The Mountain Hawks also recorded 11 second-chance points compared to just two by the Rams.
• Session led all players with a season-best 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. She also dished out three assists and blocked one shot.
• Rivera also scored in double figures for URI, netting 14 points – including an off-balance three pointer at the buzzer that sent the Rams into halftime with a 33-24 advantage.
• Whittaker finished with nine points and five rebounds. She also led the team in steals (3) for the seventh time this season and assists (3) for the fifth time.
• Freshman Megan Straumann – who missed the last seven games with an injury – logged a career-high 27 minutes and shot 2-of-4 from three-point territory.
• Rhode Island connected at a 60.9% (14-23) clip in the first half – its best shooting percentage in any single half this season. The Rams also hit four-of-five attempts (80.0%) from long range over the first 20 minutes of play after combining to go just 3-of-21 from the perimeter in their last three games.
• After the break, Rhody pushed its lead to 13 (37-24) with 19:09 left to play, but the Mountain Hawks chipped away at the lead and moved in front for good after a three-pointer by Byorick made it a 50-48 game with 8:34 left to go.
• The game featured six lead changes and five ties.
• Williams (13), Kelly Peterson (12), Gratch (11) and Sarah Pearce (11) all scored in double figures for Lehigh.