Amherst, Mass.-Despite a career-high 20 points from junior guard Tahrike Carter (Brooklyn, NY), the Rhode Island College men's basketball team fell on the road to No. 6 Amherst, 79-69, on Tuesday night in non-conference action played at LeFrak Gymnasium.

Although RIC (15-4) led by as many as 14 in the first half, Amherst (18-2) cut the deficit to just three at the break, as the hosts went into the intermission trailing the Anchormen, 35-32.

After both teams went back and forth to open up the second stanza, the Lord Jeffs pulled ahead by one, 50-49, with 9:54 remaining after a pair of free throws from junior center Peter Kaasila (Plaistow, NH). Amherst held on to the lead for the rest of the game, en route to the victory.

Sophomore guard Aaron Toomey (Greensboro, NC) finished with a game-high 25 points for the Lord Jeffs, to go along with five assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals. Toomey went 13-for-14 from the free throw line, while Amherst finished 26-for-28 from the charity stripe on the evening. The Lord Jeffs also controlled the glass throughout the game, outrebounding the Anchormen, 38-29.

After shooting lights out in the first half (16-for-30), Rhode Island College cooled down considerably in the second frame, but still ended the day shooting 46 percent from the floor (26-for-56). On the other end, Amherst shot 42 percent from the floor on 24-of-57 shooting, but did the majority of its damage from the free throw line.

Carter had the best game of his career at RIC, as aside from the career-high scoring effort on 9-of-13 shooting, he totaled five boards, three assists and two steals in the loss. Senior forward Mason Choice (Newport, RI) notched 14 points and three rebounds, while going 8-for-10 on foul shots. Senior center Mike Akinrola (Woonsocket, RI) added 12 points and three boards, while junior center Steven Roberts (New Haven, CT) chipped in with eight points and four rebounds.

Senior guard Taylor Barrise (Allendale, NJ) finished with 12 points for the Lord Jeffs, while Kaasila and junior guard Allen Williamson (Saugus, MA) recorded ten points apiece. Junior guard Willy Workman (Northampton, MA) registered eight points and a game-high 11 boards in the win.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume Little East Conference action at UMass Boston on Saturday, Feb. 4 (3 p.m.).