(Box
Score)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island College secured a
berth in the 2010 Little East Conference Women¹s Basketball
Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 67-55 win over Plymouth State
University in the regular season finale for both clubs at The
Murray Center.
The Anchorwomen (16-9 overall, 7-7 LEC) will be the fifth seed in
the upcoming tourney and travel to fourth-seeded Keene State on
Tuesday for a 7 p.m. first-round matchup. The loss eliminates the
Panthers (15-10 overall, 5-9 LEC), who finished tied for sixth in
the league but lost the tiebreaker with UMass Dartmouth for the
final spot in the postseason tournament.
Senior Denise Scott (Yonkers, N.Y.) recorded 17 points, eight
rebounds, and seven steals to pace RIC. Senior Alice Mullen
(Saunderstown, R.I.) led the team with 19 points and shot 5-for-9
from
three-point range. Junior Lauren Harrington (Exeter, R.I.)
contributed 10 points and five steals, while sophomore Rachel Riley
(Coventry, R.I.) grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
PSU sophomore Alicia Doucet (Manchester,
N.H./Central) led all scorers with 21 points, while senior
Laura Kent (Bellingham, Mass.) was one rebound shy
of a double-double with 14 points and nine boards.
RIC¹s defense was the story in the first half, forcing 15
Panther turnovers and holding the visitors to 38 percent (9-for-24)
shooting. The lead went back and forth over the first
nine minutes of the game. Two Kent free throws gave Plymouth State
what proved to be its last lead of the contest, 14-13 with 11
minutes left, but RIC erupted for a 20-2 run over the next six
minutes to build a 17-point margin, 33-16, and cruised to a
14-point lead at the break, 40-26.
The Anchorwomen maintained a double-digit advantage until the 14:33
mark as junior Amanda Kania
(Manchester, N.H./West) sparked the visitors with a three-pointer
to pull within nine points, 47-38. Three Kent free throws made it a
two-possession game, 47-41, seconds later.
RIC went up by eight points, 49-41, on a Riley layup, but the
visitors kept coming. Layups by Kent and junior guard Kalie
Judd (Peabody, Mass.) trimmed the Panther deficit to four
points, 49-45, with 10:33 left to play. The Panthers got within
three-points, 51-48, on a Judd layup with 5:39 left, but RIC went
on a 16-7 run to close out the game.
The Anchorwomen shot 36 percent (21-for-58) from the field in the
game and won the battle of the glass, 45-35. The Panthers shot 33
percent (17-for-51) and struggled from downtown (3-for-13),
shooting a 23 percent clip.
Plymouth State is hoping to receive an ECAC New England Tournament
post-season berth when the bids are announced on Monday, Mar.
1st.
(Courtesy of Rhode Island College Sports
Information)
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