SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (Interstat) — In a grinding Atlantic 10 defensive struggle, the Rhode Island Rams used a decisive fourth-quarter push to pull away from the Davidson Wildcats for a 60-53 victory in women’s basketball on Wednesday night at the Ryan Center.

The game, played before an intimate crowd of 1,123, was a tale of two offenses searching for consistency. Rhode Island, improving to 17-2 overall, ultimately leaned on its star and a timely surge to secure the win. Davidson, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped, fell to 13-7.

The contest was characterized by physical defense and disjointed offensive execution. Both teams committed 13 turnovers, and neither shot above 43% from the field. Rhode Island held a narrow efficiency edge, scoring 60 points on 64 possessions compared to Davidson’s 53 points on 66 trips.

The most important part of the game arrived in the final period. After Davidson’s Kyra Bruyndoncx hit a 3-pointer to cut Rhode Island’s lead to 51-49 with 4:35 remaining, the Rams responded with the game’s critical sequence. On the ensuing possession, Brooklyn Gray found Albina Syla for a layup to push the lead back to four. Following a Davidson timeout, the Wildcats came up empty on their next two offensive trips.

Rhode Island then delivered the decisive blow. With the shot clock winding down, Gray, who led all scorers with 19 points, drained a deep 3-pointer to extend the Rams’ advantage to 54-49 with just over six minutes to play. Davidson never recovered from that seven-point swing, getting no closer than five points the rest of the way as Rhode Island closed out the game at the free-throw line.

Gray, a junior from Rockford, Illinois, was the engine for the Rams. In 35 minutes, she added two assists, a block and three steals to her scoring output, repeatedly making key plays on both ends in the second half. Vanessa Harris provided crucial support with 12 points, including two 3-pointers during Rhode Island’s 18-point second quarter that helped them establish a halftime lead.

Davidson was paced by Bruyndoncx, the sophomore from Antwerp, Belgium, who scored 17 points, hitting three shots from beyond the arc. Elena Alvarez Castellanos, a guard from Pamplona, Spain, contributed nine points and a game-high five assists, orchestrating the Wildcats’ offense for 30 minutes.

The Rams’ interior defense, anchored by 6-foot-5 center Albina Syla of Finland and 6-foot-1 forward Palmire Mbu of France, proved formidable. The duo combined for 14 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, altering numerous Davidson attempts in the paint. Mbu’s three blocks were particularly impactful in protecting the rim.

Davidson held a brief 11-10 lead late in the first quarter, but Rhode Island seized control with an 18-point second quarter, fueled by Harris’s outside shooting, to take a 30-25 lead into the break. The Wildcats chipped away in the third, outscoring the Rams 16-12 behind Bruyndoncx’s eight points in the period to trail by just a single point, 42-41, heading to the fourth.

The final quarter, however, belonged to Rhode Island. After trading baskets early, the Rams clamped down defensively, holding Davidson to just 5-of-15 shooting in the period while Gray’s late heroics sealed the outcome.

Rhode Island, which entered the game with a projected 65.8% win probability by the Interstat ELO system, will next travel to face Dayton on Sunday. Davidson, which had won five of its last six conference games, looks to rebound at home against VCU on Sunday.