WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team connected on six consecutive three-point field goals in closing out the first half on a 24-2 run that turned a ten-point deficit into a 12-point halftime lead and sparked the Warriors to an 82-54 Little East Conference victory over Rhode Island College Wednesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
A winner of five of its last six conference games, Eastern (11-12, 8-6 LEC) remains a half-game behind the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Southern Maine, who share third place in the conference. The Warriors are assured of one of six LEC tournament berths and remain in contention for a first-round tournament home game Feb. 21 which goes to the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds.
In his first game back after missing the last three games with injury, first-year guard Dominick Dao (Terryville) sank his first three-point field goal attempt less than a minute after entering the game in the opening minutes, and both began and capped the three-point barrage that ignited the decisive 24-2 run over the final seven minutes of the first half.
Dao and senior guard Jalen Williams (Simsbury) each had two of the six three-pointers in the 24-2 scoring barrage, with senior guards Tyreice Woods (Hartford) and Max Lee (Norwich) contributed one of their own. The Warriors scored the final 17 points of the half.
Eastern has finished with double-digit three-point field goals in four of its last seven games, falling just three shy of the team game record of 19 with a season-high 16 buckets coming from distance against Rhode Island (6-15, 4-9 LEC). Led by five from Williams, seven different Eastern players contributed at least one from behind the arc as the Warriors outscored the Anchormen 48-9 from distance.
Williams led all players with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor (5-of-8 from distance). Dao had 11 points in 16 first-half minutes and finished with 15. Woods added 11 points (3-of-3 on three-pointers) and five assists and Lee added five points, six assists, four steals and four rebounds. Eastern won the battle of the boards with a +4 advantage, getting five rebounds from senior forward Quinton Lott (Bridgeport) in 21 minutes off the bench and four rebounds from five additional players.
Rhode Island, which remains one game out of sixth place and the final tournament spot, dropped its fourth straight and ninth in the last 11 games. Freshman guard Anthony Rivera paced four double-digit scorers with 13 points, with junior center Ousmane Kourouma scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds with three blocked shots before fouling out with 6:21 left and his team trailing, 64-40. Ousmane managed only three points and two shots in the second half.
Eastern hosts the University of Southern Maine Saturday at 3 p.m. and visits Western Connecticut State University Wednesday in the regular-season finale. Southern Maine defeated Eastern, 87-78, Jan. 12 at Gorham, ME.