Providence, R.I.-Senior guard Roosevelt Shider (Meriden, CT) scored 19 points as Rhode Island College lost to undefeated Eastern Connecticut, 86-61, in Little East Conference men's basketball action played at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
Eastern Connecticut 86, Rhode Island College 61
Eastern Connecticut (6-0, 1-0 LEC)
Rhode Island College (2-6, 0-1 LEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Shider shot 4-for-8 from the field and 9-for-14 from the free throw line.
• Freshman guard Adham Floyd (Worcester, MA) shot 7-for-10 from the field, which included 4-of-7 from downtown, in an 18-point effort. Floyd added five boards, one assist, one block and a steal. Sophomore guard CJ Donaldson (Bridgeport, CT) chipped in with nine points and three assists.
• Eastern senior guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville, CT) shot 9-of-12 from the field and 9-of-12 from the charity stripe for a game-high 27 points to go along with nine boards, six assists, two blocks and three steals.
• Freshman guard Cory Muckle (Westbrook, CT) and sophomore backcourt mate Carlos Gonzalez (Springfield, MA) each had 16 points. Gonzalez added five boards, four assists and four steals.
• ECSU junior forward Leonel Hyatt (Greenwich, CT) rounded out the Warriors in double figures with an 11-point effort.
• A Shider three-pointer pulled RIC within two points, 17-15, with 9:48 left in the first half. Eastern Connecticut went on a 12-point run to go up by 14, 29-15, with just under six minutes left to play in the frame.
• The Warriors led by 15, 42-27, at the half.
• RIC got within nine points, 62-53, on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Jonatan Batista (Providence, RI), but the visitors turned on the jets and raced out to a game-high 28-point advantage, 82-54, with 3:25 left and never looked back.
BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 42.9% percent (21-of-49) from the field, 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from the three-point line and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the free throw line.
• Eastern Connecticut shot 51.6 percent (33-of-64) from the field, 24.0 percent (6-of-25) from the three-point line and 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the free throw line.
• Eastern Connecticut outrebounded RIC by a 38-27 margin, while ECSU forced RIC into 18 turnovers, while committing just nine of its own.
WHAT'S NEXT
• In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host Johnson & Wales on Tuesday, Dec. 5 (7 p.m.).