Paladino's Career-High 21 Leads Anchorwomen Past Camels, 59-53

New London, Conn.-Senior guard Cara Paladino (Arlington, MA) scored a career-high 21 points and matcher her previous high mark by ripping down 14 rebounds as Rhode Island College defeated host Connecticut College, 59-53, on Wednesday evening.

Paladino carried the load for the Anchorwomen (3-3), connecting on 7-of-15 from the field and corralling 10 defensive boards. She also added two assists and a steal.

Freshman forward Alex Moore (West Newbury, MA) contributed nine points and four rebounds, while sophomore frontcourt mate Vandell Andrade (Providence, RI) finished with 10 rebounds, eight points and four steals. Senior guard Stephanie Prusko (Lincoln, RI) notched seven points and a team-high four assists.

Connecticut College senior Tara Gabelman (Irvington, NY) notched her fifth consecutive double-double and the 27^th in her career, finishing 15 points and 12 rebounds. Liz Malman (Mendham, NJ) added 10 points and four assists. Jenna Lovett (Tolland, CT) registered nine points with three blocks and three rebounds for the hosts.

Paladino had 11 points and four rebounds in the first stanza and the visitors carried a 25-23 lead into the break.

With 5:42 remaining in the contest, Lovett converted two free throws to break the 10^th tie of the game, putting the Camels on top 43-42.  After sitting on the bench for the majority of the second half, Andrade had an immediate impact in her return to action. A defensive rebound and end to end drive put the visitors on top 48-45.  Later on with 2:56 left, Moore dialed long distance from the right side to push the RIC lead to 51-45.

With 2:03 remaining, Moore converted a field goal just as the shot clock was expiring to extend the visitors advantage to 53-45.

Malman made things interesting in the final minute of regulation, drilling two three-balls to keep the Camels close. With 34.6 seconds left, she netted a trey from the top of the key to make it a 53-48 game.

After Paladino converted a pair from the charity stripe, Malman buried a 25-footer with 27.3 seconds remaining to make it a 55-51 game. The Camels were able to regain possession and trim the lead to 55-53 when Carlee Smith (Willimantic, CT) netted a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining.

But Andrade corralled an offensive rebound after RIC missed the front end of a one-and-one and made a terrific decision to call a timeout with 13.9 seconds left. The visitors tacked on four more free throws to close out the 59-53 triumph.

RIC shot 41 percent (21-for-51) from the field, 33 percent (3-for-9) from three-point range and 74 percent (14-for-19) from the free throw line.

The Camels shot 32 percent (20-for-62) from the floor, 27 percent (4-for-15) from downtown and 75 percent (9-for-12) from the charity stripe.

The Anchorwomen held the advantage in rebounding, 40-34.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will open Little East Conference play at Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 7 (2 p.m.).