Plymouth, N.H.-Senior forward Chris Burton (New Rochelle, NY) scored 17 points to lead four Anchormen in double figures as the  Rhode Island College men's basketball topped Little East foe Plymouth State, 69-41, in the regular season finale for both clubs on Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.

With the win, the Anchormen (18-7, 10-4 LEC) clinch the second seed in the upcoming 2015 Little East Tournament and will host the seventh-seeded Panthers (7-18, 2-12 LEC) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 24 (7 p.m.).

Plymouth State came out strong early, with sophomore guard Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, NH) scoring five straight points to give PSU a 10-6 advantage with 14:30 left in the half. The Anchormen responded with a 20-6 run, capped by a three-pointer from freshman guard Roosevelt Shider (Meriden, CT), to give RIC a 26-16 lead with 4:43 left in the first half. The run continued, with RIC outscoring the Panthers, 7-2, down the stretch to take a 33-18 advantage into halftime.

The second half saw the Anchormen increase their lead, with a pair of free throws from senior guard Eric Alleyne (Watertown, MA) putting RIC up 46-23, with 13:31 left in the contest. PSU junior forward Uche Nwokeji (Lynn, MA) trimmed the deficit to 19 with 5:21 remaining, but the Anchormen held the Panthers scoreless for the next 5:19 to close out the win. 

Arsenault's 10 points off the bench led the Panthers. Nwokeji scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in the defeat. The Panthers were held to 27.5 percent (14-for-51) shooting from the field, but shot a blistering 50.0 percent (6-for-12) from behind the three-point arc. The Panthers struggled from the free throw line, connecting on just 53.8 percent (7-for-13).

Burton's 17 points, eight boards, three steals and three blocks paced RIC, while Shider and Alleyne each scored 14. Senior center Victor Smith (Providence, RI) scored 10 points off the bench to round out the Anchormen in double figures. RIC shot 46.5 percent (20-for-43) from the field, 50.0 percent (6-for-12) from downtown and  a scorching 88.5 percent (23-for-26) from the charity stripe.