Providence, R.I.-Eastern Connecticut junior guard Trachone Preston (Enfield, CT) scored a game-high 26 points, on 11-for-18 shooting from the field, as Eastern Connecticut defeated Rhode Island College, 53-47, in a hard-fought Little East Conference battle at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

The first half saw a defensive battle as Eastern (8-1, 1-0 LEC) finished the frame with a 10 point lead, 29-19, over the Anchormen (6-2, 0-1 LEC). Preston scored 15 points in the half on 6-for-10 shooting. Senior guard Eric Alleyne (Watertown, MA) scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds to pace the hosts.

The second half saw the RIC squad re-energized after a pair of steals and dunks by senior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) brought the crowd to their feet in the opening minutes. RIC kept battling back and a three-pointer by freshman guard Roosevelt Shider (Meriden, CT) with 7:04 to play gave the Anchormen their first lead of the night.

The Warriors were not rattled and a layup by Preston with 1:20 remaining increased their lead back to nine, 52-43. An Alleyne layup with 15 seconds left cut the lead to six, 53-47, but that is as close as RIC would get as the game ended.

The Warriors were led by Preston's 26 points, while sophomore forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield, CT) finished with a double-double by scoring 10 points and recording 10 boards. He also blocked six shots. ECSU shot 39.6 percent (21-for-53) from the field, 20.0 percent (3-for-15) from behind the three-point arc and 50.0 percent (8-for-16) from the free throw line.

Alleyne's 14 points paced RIC. Burton chipped in eight points and four boards, while Shider netted five points. The Anchormen shot 31.1 percent (19-for-61) from the field, 20.0 percent (3-for-15) from three-point range and 66.7 percent (6-for-9) from the charity stripe.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will play at Johnson & Wales on Tuesday, Dec. 9 (7 p.m.).