Providence, R.I.-The Rhode Island College men's basketball team used a stifling defensive effort and 23 points from sophomore guard Chris Green (Taunton, MA) to race past Plymouth State, 71-48, in Little East Conference action played at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Anchormen (3-14, 2-5 LEC) opened the game quickly, with a three-pointer by freshman guard Jimmy Fritzson (Sharon, MA) putting the hosts up, 8-4, with 13:56 left in the half. The Panthers (12-6, 3-4 LEC) knotted the game at 12-12 with 11:26 left in the stanza, but RIC outscored the Panthers, 14-7, over the next 5:30 of game time to take a 26-19 lead following a trey by freshman guard Gianni Carwin (Stamford, CT) with 5:56 left in the first frame.

A pair of free throws by Plymouth State senior forward Uche Nwokeji (Lynn, MA) trimmed the RIC advantage down to one, 26-25, with 3:48 remaining, but the Anchormen were able to hold the Panthers to just four points for the remainder of the quarter to take a 33-29 lead into the half.

RIC shot 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from the field in the half, while the Panthers shot 33.3 percent (10-for-30).

RIC picked up the defensive pressure in the opening minutes of the second half, using a 15-2 run to increase the lead to 17, 48-31, with 14:13 left in the contest. The Panthers were able to cut the deficit down to 14, 52-38, following a pair of free throws by Nwokeji with 11:33 left in the second half, but the Anchormen buckled down and extended their lead over the next eight-plus minutes with a made free throw by freshman guard Brandon Williams Jr. (Dorchester, MA) putting RIC up by 22, 70-48, with 3:29 left in the game.  A pair of back-to-back three-pointers by the hosts late in the tilt put the game out of reach.

RIC shot 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the floor, 50.0 percent (9-for-18) from downtown and 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from the charity stripe. Green led all scorers with 23 points, while also contributing in six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Carwin and Fritzson each scored 11 for the Anchormen in the victory.

Plymouth State was held to 27.1 percent (16-for-59) shooting from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from three-point range and 60.0 percent (12-for-20) from the free throw line. Nwokeji paced Plymouth offensively, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Junior guard Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, NH) chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds in the defeat. 

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at Western Connecticut on Wednesday, Jan. 27 (7:30 p.m.).