HOUSE RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ON WINNING THE 2026 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT AND EARNING A BERTH IN THE 2026 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

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2026 -- H 8358
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LC006096
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
TEAM ON WINNING THE 2026 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT AND EARNING A BERTH IN THE 2026 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT

Introduced By:
Representatives McEntee, Fogarty, Tanzi, Craven, Shekarchi,
Blazejewski, Caldwell, Chippendale, Paplauskas, and Hull

Date Introduced:
March 26, 2026

Referred To:
House read and passed
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WHEREAS, The University of Rhode Island Women's Basketball team had a historic
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2025-2026 season, one that includes an outstanding overall record of 28-4, a 16-2 conference
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record that was only matched by George Mason University, and which culminated with a victory
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in the 2026 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Tournament and the program's second-ever
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trip to the Women's NCAA Tournament; and
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WHEREAS, In the Atlantic 10 Tournament, the Rams dispatched Loyola of Chicago in
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the first round by seven points and defeated Davidson by nine points in the semifinals to set up a
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championship match against George Mason for the title. In a hard-fought game, George Mason
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jumped out to the early lead, 15-7 at the end of the first quarter and at one point in the second
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quarter, led by double-digits. The Rams proceeded to stage a furious rally, and only trailed by 1
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point at the half. The Rams jumped out to a seven point lead in the third quarter, and then played
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ferocious defense the rest of the game to cling to a slim lead and pull out a 53-51 victory thanks
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in large part to the stellar play by the Rams Albina Syla, named Most Outstanding Player of the
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Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and her fellow Atlantic 10 All-Championship teammates,
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Brooklyn Gray and Sophia Vital; and
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WHEREAS, The Rams squad was led all season by the outstanding play by stellar Senior
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Guard Brooklyn Gray, who earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honors and All-
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Academic honors, while leading the team in points scored and points per game. She also shot an

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incredible 91.3 percent from the free-throw line. Other key contributors to the Rams outstanding
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season include Sophomore Center Albina Syla who led the Rams in rebounding, Junior Guard
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Sophia Vital who earned All-Second Team Atlantic 10 honors, Senior Forward Palmire Mbu,
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who was second on the Rams squad in scoring and rebounding and earned All-Third Team
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Atlantic 10 honors, Senior Guard Ines Debroise, who earned All-Defensive Team Atlantic 10
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honors, and Freshman Guard Vanessa Harris who earned All-Rookie Team honors and the Sixth
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Woman of the Year Award from the Atlantic 10 Conference; and
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WHEREAS, The Rams were blessed to be led all season by the stellar coaching and
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superb leadership provided by Head Coach Tammi Reiss, Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Award
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Winner. Ms. Reiss played basketball at the University of Virginia and in the WNBA, and since
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becoming the Rams Head Coach in 2019, she has enjoyed four seasons of 20 or more wins, tied
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for first twice in the Atlantic 10 regular season, participated in two WNIT Tournaments, and this
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season won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championship, and a berth in the NCAA
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Women's Basketball Tournament; now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
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heartily congratulates the University of Rhode Island Women's Basketball Team on the
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outstanding success of their 2025-2026 season, which includes the incredible achievement of
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winning the 2026 Atlantic 10 Women's Conference Tournament and earning a place in the 2026
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NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Tammi Reiss, Head Coach of the University of
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Rhode Island Women's Basketball Team.
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