PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Rhode Island College used a balanced scoring effort Saturday afternoon to defeat Plymouth State University, 74-63, in a Little East Conference men's basketball game at Foley Gymnasium.

            Freshman Antone Gray (Providence, R.I.) led the Anchormen with 13 points, while junior Tirrell Hill (Bronx, N.Y.) added 12 points and junior Bobby Bailey (Fall River, Mass.) and freshman Anthony Fortes (East Providence, R.I.) contributed 11 points apiece.

            Sophomore Jason O'Keefe (Everett, Mass.) led all scorers with 23 points for Plymouth State, connecting on 4-of-10 from three-point range.  Junior Ben Huntington (Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton) was the only other Panther to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 11 points.

            The Anchormen led wire to wire, maintaining a double-digit advantage most of the game.  Trailing 39-25 at the half, the Panthers got as close as eight points (48-40) with 14 minutes left in the second half, but RIC scored the next nine points to push the margin back up to 17 and PSU couldn't mount a challenge the rest of the way.

            RIC improves to 11-2 overall and stays tied for first place in the LEC with UMass Dartmouth, both teams at 3-0, while PSU suffered its ninth straight defeat and fell to 3-10 and 0-3 in conference play.

            Both teams are back in action Tuesday at 7:30 with LEC road games, PSU visiting UMass Boston and RIC traveling to Southern Maine. 

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