PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Plymouth State University women's basketball team fell to Little East Conference (LEC) regular season champions Rhode Island College, 66-43, in the regular season finale at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Anchorwomen opened up a double-digit lead in the first quarter and held Plymouth State at arm's length the rest of the game.
 
Junior Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt.) led all scorers with 19 points, while classmate Alessia Salzillo (Saugus, Mass.) scored seven points. Sophomore Lauren Keller (Fort Morgan, Colo.) and junior Autumn Nelson (Weare, N.H.) each chipped in five points in the losing effort.
 
The Panthers now turn their attention to the LEC Tournament, where they will face Western Connecticut State University on the road on Monday (Feb. 21). PSU just knocked off WestConn in overtime yesterday.
 
PSU ends the regular season with a 2-19 record (1-15 LEC), while Rhode Island College improves to 20-5 and 15-1 in the LEC.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 43, Rhode Island College 66
  • Plymouth State (2-19, 1-15 LEC)
  • Rhode Island College (20-5, 15-1 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Jalen Cook (19 pts, 8 reb, 3-5 3pt)
• Alessia Salzillo (9 pts, 1-2 3pt)
• Lauren Keller (5 pts, 2 reb)
• Autumn Nelson (5 pts, 4 reb)

How it Happened:

• The Anchorwomen opened the first quarter on a 13-2 run over the first 4:18.
• PSU found its stride, being edged 10-7 to close out the first trailing 23-9.
• RIC scored the first five points of the second to extend the lead with 7:01 remaining in the half.
• The Panther held RIC to just one field goal over the final seven minutes to trim the deficit to 36-20 going into halftime.
• The Anchorwomen scored the first nine points of the third quarter to go up 45-20.
• A 7-2 spurt by the Panthers brought the deficit back to 47-27 to close out the third quarter.
• Cook scored ten of her 19 points in the fourth quarter.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 14-of-52 (26.9%) from the floor but nailed 4-of-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc.
• RIC held a slight 40-38 edge on the glass, with each team pulling down 14 offensive rebounds.
• PSU had assists on 9-of-14 field goals.
• The Panthers shot over 42% from the floor in the fourth quarter.
• Plymouth State's last win over RIC came during the 2017-18 season.

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers open LEC Tournament action with a play-in game at WestConn on Monday (Feb. 21). Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.

 
 
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