Gorham, Maine--Junior guard Deyshawn Tengbeh (East Providence, R.I.) scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as No. 5-seeded Rhode Island College men's won at No. 4-seeded Southern Maine, 73-70, in first round action of the 2024 Little East Men's Basketball Championship played at Hill Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

THE BASICS
Rhode Island College 73, Southern Maine 70
Rhode Island College (15-11)
Southern Maine (14-12)

 HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Anchormen went 3-for-3 from three-point range to build an early, 13-3, lead with 16:36 left in the first half.

• The Huskies would slowly chip away at the RIC lead, as the hosts went on a 12-3 run in a four minute time span to cut their deficit down to two points, 31-29, with 4:21 remaining in the first half.

• The two sides exchanged baskets as the Anchormen would hold a slim, 38-36, advantage at halftime.

• After a couple of lead changes to start the second half, a layup by senior forward Ousmane Kourouma (Woonsocket, R.I.) would give RIC a 44-43 lead 3:25 into the second half.
 
• The Anchormen would stay one step ahead of the Huskies, never losing their lead for the duration of the contest. Freshman guard CJ Wilson (Hartford, Conn.) would ice the game at the end by knocking down 4-of-5 from the free throw line.

• Kourouma finished with nine points and 17 rebounds. Wilson added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
 
• Freshman guard Cameron Wilson (Bear, Del.) netted a career-high 10 points in the win.
 
• RIC won all three of its meetings with Southern Maine in 2023-24, taking both regular season contests and tonight's matchup.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will travel to No. 1-seeded Keene State in the semifinals of the 2024 Little East Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday, Feb. 22 (7 p.m.).