Providence, R.I.--The Rhode Island College men's basketball squad suffered a 90-63 setback against Eastern Connecticut to close out the fall semester in a Little East Conference contest played at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore forward Benjamin Vezele (Providence, RI) paced RIC (4-6, 0-2 LEC) with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Sophomore forward Justin Campbell (New Haven, CT) was also in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Chris Donaldson (Bridgeport, CT) chipped in with nine points and two assists.

Eastern Connecticut (4-4, 2-0 LEC) was led by junior guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville, CT) with a game-high 29 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Freshman guard Carlos Gonzalez (Springfield, MA) added 12 points, while junior forward Jacob Collins (Bristol, CT) was also in double figures with 10 points.

The two teams traded baskets early on with the score tied, 15-15, with 12:03 on the clock. Eastern Connecticut then went on an 11-0 run, capped by a jumper from sophomore guard Tyrell Arnum (Bloomfield, CT), to make the score 26-15 with 9:39 left in the half. The visiting Warriors led by as many as 12 points late in the half before taking a 43-37 lead into the locker room at halftime. Vezele had 10 points in the half for RIC, while Gonzalez notched 10 points for the visitors.

The Warriors pushed the lead up to 20 points on a pair of free throws from Brown, making the score 65-45 with 9:44 remaining in the contest. RIC trimmed the lead to 15, 69-54, on a pair of free throws by senior forward Domonique Bull (Worcester, MA) with 6:05 left, but that would be as close as the Anchormen would get, however as ECSU cruised to the victory.

RIC shot 42.6 percent (20-of-47) from the field, 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from behind the three-point stripe and 80.0 percent (20-of-25) from the free throw line. Eastern Connecticut shot 50.8 percent (31-of-61) from the field, 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from three-point land and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the free throw line. RIC had 19 turnovers for the contest, but held the 35-31 advantage on the glass.

RIC is off for finals and the holidays. In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will play at Wesleyan on Tuesday, Jan. 3 (7 p.m.).