Providence, R.I.-Junior forward Victor Smith (Providence, RI) finished with 14 points and four rebounds off the bench as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team fell to Eastern Connecticut, 73-58, on Saturday afternoon at The Murray Center in Little East Conference action.

Rhode Island College (11-6, 5-2 LEC) sees its five-game winning streak come to an end and slips into a tie for second place in the Little East Conference standings with UMass Dartmouth. Meanwhile, the first-place Warriors improve to 13-4 overall with a perfect 7-0 record in conference play.

"Eastern Connecticut was better and tougher than us," said Head Coach Bob Walsh after the game. "They deserved to win. They competed at a level that we couldn't get to, and that's a bad sign for us going forward."

Sophomore guard Trachone Preston (Enfield, CT) paced Eastern Connecticut with a game-high 18 points, while senior guard Brian Salzillo (North Haven, CT) poured in 15 points, including 12 in the second half, to go along with  four rebounds and three steals. Freshman forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield, CT) finished with a huge game for Eastern, as he tallied a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four assists in the win.

Aside from the trio of Preston, Salzillo, and Lindo, senior guard Mike Garrow (Terryville, CT) notched 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists for Eastern on Saturday. Sophomore guard Kevin Leumene (Stamford, CT) recorded nine points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists off the bench, while junior forward Brandon Yarborough (Stamford, CT) totaled seven points and 11 rebounds.

As for Rhode Island College, senior guard Nyheem Sanders (Pawtucket, RI) helped carry the Anchormen with 11 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Freshman guard Austin Cilley (Westerly, RI) chipped in with nine points and a team-high five rebounds, while junior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) posted seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Freshman forward Terrance Tribble (White Plains, NY) also contributed with six points, four rebounds and two blocks for the hosts, while junior guard Eric Alleyne (Watertown, MA) came away with two points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds.

As the two teams battled back and forth throughout the first half, it was the Warriors who managed to hold a slight lead for much of the frame. In a stanza that consisted of seven ties and two lead changes, Eastern broke a 28-28 tie and pulled ahead by five for its largest lead of the half with just 32 seconds left following a three-pointer from Garrow and a layup from Yarborough. However, Sanders responded with a buzzer-beating, straightaway three-pointer to tie the game, 33-33, as time expired.

Both teams were incredibly efficient on the offensive end in the first half, as RIC shot 50 percent (15-for-30) from the field for the frame, while Eastern shot at a 48 percent (14-for-29) clip. Sanders and Smith netted 10 points apiece for RIC through the first 20 minutes, while Preston paced Eastern with nine points. 

After Salzillo opened the second half by burying a contested three-pointer, the Warriors held at least a four-point lead over the Anchormen through the first seven minutes of the frame. Smith hit a jumper to cut the deficit to just two with 12:51 on the clock, but Salzillo answered back with another trey to push Eastern's lead to five, 49-44, with 12:30 left to play.

As the two teams continued to trade baskets, a three-pointer from Yarborough upped Eastern's lead to eight, 57-49, with 8:43 remaining in the game. Preston followed with a trey moments later to give the Warriors a 10-point, 61-51, advantage at the 7:26 mark.  

Although a bucket from Cilley trimmed the margin back down to eight, 61-53, with 6:46 left to play, Eastern closed out the ballgame on a 12-5 run to seal the double-digit victory over the hosts. The Warriors drained six three-pointers as a team in the second half, compared to just two treys in the first half, while went 0-for-7 from beyond the arc in the second half alone. RIC also shot at a miserable 32 percent (9-for-28) clip for the final 20 minutes and coughed up the ball nine times during that span.

For the game, the Warriors shot 46 percent (27-for-59) from the field, 33 percent (8-for-24) from beyond the three-point arc, and 65 percent (11-for-17) from downtown.

Meanwhile, the Anchormen shot 41 percent (24-for-58) from the floor, 15 percent (2-for-13) from beyond the arc, and 57 percent (8-for-14) from the free throw line.

Eastern Connecticut outrebounded Rhode Island College, 46-29, and corralled 16 offensive rebounds as a team.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College hosts Little East Conference rival UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, Jan. 28 (7:30 p.m.).