KINGSTON, R.I. — The Dartmouth women's basketball team was stifled, 86-39, Friday afternoon at Rhode Island's Thomas M. Ryan Center.
The loss dropped Dartmouth to 0-2 in their non-conference slate, while Rhode Island improved to 1-1 on the season.
Olivia Lawlor posted 10 points for a second consecutive outing to lead the Big Green offensively. She was 4-for-10 from the field and sank a pair of free throws.
Leiya Stuart added seven for Dartmouth, all of which came in the second half. Five Rams scored in double figures, led by Sayawni Lassiter's 16-point performance. Rhode Island was 14-of-32 from downtown, and the defensive effort was equally as stellar, leading to Dartmouth's 27 turnovers.
The Rams, who won 22 games a season ago on their way to the WNIT, started strong with a commanding 22-5 advantage at the end of the first quarter and that edge only grew as they continued their hot shooting, finishing at a nearly-50 percent clip.
Dartmouth saw an early boost from freshman Lawlor, who earned her first career start after a 10-point effort in the season opener, when she drew a charge on the defensive end and seconds later parted the Rhode Island defense for an open layup.
The Big Green led 5-4 after that bucket, but the Rams held Dartmouth scoreless over the final six minutes of the quarter to lead by 17 at the conclusion of the first.
Lawlor regained her scoring touch on the first possession of the second quarter with a layup plus a foul, and she converted the and-one opportunity to cut the lead to 14. A seven-point run ensued, though, as the Rams raced to a 21-point cushion. Another strong finish sent Rhode Island into the break with a 44-15 lead.
The Rams opened the third quarter with a 10-point run to lead 56-15 before Stuart stopped the bleeding with her first points of the game. Later in the third, Dartmouth was able to string together a few stops and scores, capped off by freshman
Brooke Hollawell's 3-pointer.
Rhode Island claimed its largest lead of the game with an 89-30 advantage after Emmi Rinat's trey with just over two minutes remaining. Dartmouth scored the game's final six points with scores by
Mia Curtis and
Carrington Washburn, and
Clare Meyer's free throws.
Dartmouth is back in action Sunday at Leede Arena, hosting New Hampshire for a 2 p.m. tilt. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Bob Lipman and Lori McBride on the call. An audio broadcast, along with live stats, will be available through DartmouthSports.com.