Boston, Mass.-Senior guard Tom DeCiantis (North Kingstown, RI) tallied 11 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Jacob Page (Brookline, MA) scored a team-high 12 points off the bench, to help the Rhode Island College men's basketball team knock off UMass Boston, 70-65, on Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center in Little East Conference action.

RIC scored 44 first-half points and shot 47 percent (27-for-57) from the floor for the game to improve to 13-7 overall and 7-2 in the conference. Eight different Anchormen finished with at least six points in the victory.

Junior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) recorded seven points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks to help RIC clinch the regular season-sweep of UMass Boston (5-14, 0-9 LEC). Senior guard Nyheem Sanders (Pawtucket, RI) dished out a game-high five assists for the Anchormen, who have won seven of their last nine contests.

Junior forward Carl Joseph (Brockton, MA) racked a game-high 17 points to go along with nine rebounds to help pace the Beacons. Junior guard Gregory Young (Boston, MA) filled the stat-sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks, while sophomore guard Omar Benabicha (Saugus, MA) added 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

RIC surged ahead of UMass Boston early in the first half behind a 10-0 scoring run that gave them a 23-10 lead over the Beacons with 8:46 on the clock. The Anchormen outscored the hosts, 21-16, through the rest of the frame en route to the, 44-26, halftime advantage. RIC shot 55 percent (18-for-33) through the first 20 minutes and buried eight three-pointers.

UMass Boston cut the deficit to single-digits late in the second half thanks to a jumper from Young with 5:40 remaining that made it, 58-50. UMB stayed within striking distance for the rest of the game, as a basket from Joseph with 35 seconds left to play pulled the Beacons within four, 66-62. However, that was the closest the hosts would get in the five-point loss, as Burton sank a pair of free throws and junior guard Eric Alleyne (Watertown, MA) connected on a layup with nine seconds left to seal the victory.

Alleyne scored nine points for RIC, while junior forward Victor Smith (Providence, RI), freshman guard Austin Cilley (Westerly, RI), and freshman forward Terrance Tribble (White Plains, NY) all posted six points apiece.  

The Anchormen connected on 47 percent (9-for-19) of their three-pointers and 70 percent (7-for-10) of their free throws in the win. Meanwhile, the Beacons shot a 40 percent clip from the floor, but shot just 25 percent (4-for-16) from downtown and 58 percent (7-for-12) from the free throw line.  

The Beacons out-rebounded the Anchormen, 40-32, and gathered 15 offensive rebounds as a team. UMass Boston also forced the visitors into 21 turnovers, but coughed it up 19 times on the other end.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College is off until Saturday, Feb. 8 when the Anchormen host Little East Conference rival Keene State (3 p.m.).