Providence, R.I.-Freshman guard Jimmy Fritzson (Sharon, MA) scored a game-high 18 points and dished out a game-best five assists as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team fell, 60-58, to Southern Maine in Little East Conference action at The Murray Center on Wednesday night.

The Huskies (8-6, 3-1 LEC) jumped out to an 18-14 advantage midway through the first half when freshman guard Bryon McMillian (Washington, DC) nailed a jumper with 9:21 left in the half. The Anchormen (2-12, 1-3 LEC) battled back, taking a three-point lead following a three pointer by sophomore guard Chris Green (Taunton, MA) off a feed from Fritzson with 6:47 left in the stanza. With the two teams tied at 29 with 1:15 left in the half, the Huskies went on a quick 4-0 run to take a 33-29 lead going into halftime.

The Anchormen shot 34.6 percent (9-for-26) from the floor in the half with USM shooting 44.8 percent (13-for-29) from the field.

The Huskies opened their lead quickly in the second half, pushing their advantage to 13 points, 44-31, following a jumper by senior forward Aaron Toman (Gardiner, ME) 4:51 into the half. The Anchormen rallied, with a layup by freshman center Jason Jones (Roxbury, MA) knotting the game at 46 with 9:25 left in the game. A jumper by Green with 3:40 left in the contest put the hosts up three, 57-54, but the Huskies rebounded.

The Anchormen had possession of the ball, but turned it over off an inbounds play with eight seconds remaining. Southern Maine took over and senior guard Jose Nouchanthavong (Westbrook, ME) was fouled with 0.3 seconds left on a drive to the rim. He sank a pair of free throws to give USM its first win at The Murray Center since Feb. 9, 2002.

The Anchormen shot 34.6 percent (18-for-52) from the floor, 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from three-point range and a stellar 82.4 percent (14-for-17) from the free throw line. Green chipped in with 16 points. Junior forward Terrance Tribble (White Plains, NY) scored six points and corralled a game-high 14 rebounds.

USM shot 42.4 percent (25-for-59) from the floor, 15.8 percent (3-for-19) from downtown and 77.8 percent (7-for-9) from the free throw line. Junior forward Atencio Martin (Kittery, ME) recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Nouchanthavong scored 11 points in the victory, with junior guard Zach Leal (York, ME) also tossing in 11 points for the Huskies.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at Keene State on Saturday, Jan. 16 (3 p.m.).