Providence, R.I.-Rhode Island College sophomore guard Chris Green (Taunton, MA) scored a game-high 28 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field to lead the men's basketball team past Little East Conference-leading Eastern Connecticut, 58-56, at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Anchormen (4-15, 3-6 LEC) raced out to an early, 11-4, lead after a made layup by freshman forward Justin Campbell (New Haven, CT) just 5:22 into the first half.
The Warriors (13-7, 7-2 LEC) responded, with a three-pointer by sophomore guard Collin Jordan (Cheshire, CT) knotting the game at 11 with 12:17 left in the half. The teams traded baskets for the ensuing four minutes before back-to-back layups by Eastern junior center David Canny (Torrington, CT) extended the visitors lead to five, 21-16. The Warriors ballooned their lead to 11 points, 27-16, following a pair of made free throws by junior forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield, CT) with 4:45 remaining in the half. The Anchormen were not rattled, and clutch shooting by Green keyed a 12-1 RIC run down the stretch to send the game into the half knotted at 28 apiece.
RIC shot 37.0 percent (10-for-27) from the field in the opening stanza, with the Warriors shooting 37.9 percent (11-for-29) as a team.
RIC opened the second half on a 13-5 run, capped by a layup by freshman guard Jimmy Fritzson (Sharon, MA) with 14:34 left in the game to put the Anchormen up 41-33. RIC was able to extend its advantage to nine, 48-39, after a layup by sophomore guard Roosevelt Shider (Meriden, CT) with 10:22 left in the contest, but the Warriors responded, trimming the Anchormen advantage to three, 54-51, following a pair of made free throws by Lindo with 51 seconds left in the contest.
RIC freshman guard Brandon Williams Jr. (Dorchester, MA) salted the game by knocking down four straight free throws before a half-court heave as time expired by the Eastern sophomore guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville, CT) gave the game its 58-56 final.
The Anchormen shot 36.5 percent (19-for-52) from the field, 40.0 percent (8-for-20) from downtown and 80.0 percent (12-for-15) from the charity stripe. Green scored a game-best 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor, which included a virtuoso 6-of-11 performance from long range. Freshman center Jason Jones (Roxbury, MA) led RIC in rebounding, hauling in 12 in the victory.
Eastern shot 31.7 percent (19-for-60) from the field, 25.0 percent (5-for-20) from three-point range and 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the free throw line. Lindo had a monster game for the Warriors, scoring 12 points, grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds (12 of which were offensive) and chipping in one steal. Canny also notched a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, with Brown scoring 11 points in the loss.
In upcoming action, the Anchormen will hit the road to take on 14th-ranked Amherst College on Tuesday, Feb. 2 (7 p.m.).