Keene, N.H.-Freshman guard Austin Cilley (Westerly, RI) exploded for a career-high 26 points on Saturday afternoon, while the Rhode Island College men's basketball team scored a whopping 52 points in the first half alone en route to a 95-69 thrashing of Keene State in Little East Conference action played at Spaulding Gymnasium.

Winners in four of their last five games, the Anchormen were lights out shooting the basketball on Saturday, hitting 48 percent (31-for-65) of their shots from the floor and 84 percent (27-for-32) of their shots from the free throw line.

Junior forward Victor Smith (Providence, RI) posted 16 points and eight rebounds for Rhode Island College (8-5, 2-1 LEC), while junior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) added 15 points and nine rebounds. Cilley also chipped in with five rebounds, two assists and two steals

Junior guard Tom Doyle (Wallingford, CT) paced the Owls with 19 points and four assists. Sophomore center Nate Howard (Cheshire, CT) finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for Keene State (3-8, 1-2 LEC), which has dropped three of its last four.

RIC connected on 54 percent (20-for-37) of its shots from the floor in the first half and went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe en route to a 52-38 lead at the break. The Anchormen continued to break the game open in the second half, outscoring the Owls, 43-31, over the final 20 minutes. Although RIC cooled down and shot just 39 percent (11-for-28) from the floor in the final frame, Keene State shot at an egregious 27 percent (9-for-34) clip to end the game, resulting in the 26-point deficit.

Junior forward Jacob Page (Brookline, MA) finished with eight points, five rebounds and three assists, while senior guard Tom DeCiantis (North Kingstown, RI) contributed seven points, four assists and three boards. Junior guard Eric Alleyne (Watertown, MA) cracked double-digits with 10 points on the day, while freshman forward Terrance Tribble (White Plains, NY) totaled five points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore guard Tre Tipton (Stamford, CT) recorded 11 points, four assists, and three rebounds for Keene.  Freshman forward Jacquel Edwards (Manchester, NH) posted eight points and corralled 13 rebounds.

RIC forced the Owls into 12 turnovers, while only turning the ball over nine times on the other end. The visitors finished with 16 points off turnovers, while the Rhode Island College bench also outscored Keene's bench, 39-16.

Meanwhile, Keene held a slim advantage in the rebounding margin (46-45), but hauled in 19 offensive rebounds as a team.

In total, the Owls shot 30 percent (22-for-73) from the floor and 71 percent (20-for-28) from the free throw line. For the game, RIC shot 35 percent (6-for-17) from beyond the arc, while Keene shot just 28 percent (5-for-18) from downtown.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College hosts Little East Conference rival Southern Maine on Tuesday, Jan. 14 (5:30 p.m.).