Chicopee, Mass.-Senior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) tallied a game-high 21 points, while chipping in six rebounds and four steals, as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team topped Elms College , 67-52, in non-conference action on Tuesday night.

The Blazers (1-5) and Anchormen (6-1) traded baskets and were knotted up at 13-13 halfway through the first half. A three-pointer by Burton off a feed from senior guard Eric Alleyne (Watertown, MA) put RIC up five, 18-13, with 9:05 to play in the stanza. Elms recovered and  teams remained close in the final nine minutes,  but Burton knocked down a pair of shots late to give the Anchormen the 28-24 lead entering the halftime break.

The Anchormen shot 38.7 percent (12-for-31) from the field in the first half, while the Blazers shot 31.8 percent (7-for-22) in the frame. Senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, GA) led Elms with eight points and seven rebounds, while Burton notched 15 points and four boards for the visitors.

A pair of free throws by Elms sophomore guard DaQuian Youngblood (Brooklyn, NY) cut the RIC lead down to two, 32-30, with 16:26 remaining in the half. RIC freshman guard Roosevelt Shider (Meriden, CT) nailed a three-pointer off a feed from senior forward Patrick Matthews (Waipahu, HI) with 11:11 remaining to increase the Anchormen lead to nine, 46-37.

 A pair of Youngblood free throws with 7:11 left in the half made the score 55-43, but two free throws by Alleyne with 6:51 on the clock increased the RIC lead to 14, 57-43. The Anchormen nailed their free throws down the stretch and finished out the game with a 67-52 victory.

Junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, CT) led the Blazers' attack with 15 points, while Lockett finished the game with eight points and 10 boards. The Blazers shot 28.9 percent (13-for-45) from the field, 10.0 percent (1-for-10) from downtown and 62.5 percent (25-for-40) from the free throw line.  

Burton led the team with 21 points, six boards and four steals, while Shider poured in 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting from downtown. The Anchormen finished the game shooting 47.1 percent (24-for-51) from the field, 54.2 percent (13-for-24) from the charity stripe and a sizzling 40.0 percent (6-for-15) from long range on the evening.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will open Little East Conference play at home against Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 6 (3 p.m.).