Providence, R.I.-Juniors Rachel Riley (Coventry, RI) and Stephanie Coro (North Providence, RI) led the Rhode Island College women's basketball team to a 69-57 win over Southern Maine in Little East Conference action played at The Murray Center.

The Anchorwomen (16-6, 7-5 LEC) lock themselves into the fourth seed in the upcoming 2011 Little East Conference Tournament and will host a first round game on Tuesday, Feb. 22. RIC cannot finish any higher or lower in the standings, no matter what happens in its final two league contests.

The Huskies (15-8, 10-2 LEC) fall out of first place and are now tied with Eastern Connecticut for second, one game behind league leader Western Connecticut. RIC snapped a 24-game losing steak to USM in 2009, but the Huskies recovered to win the last five matchups prior to today's action.

Riley notched her 13^th double-double effort of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds to go along with three assists, three steals and a block. Coro recovered from a tough first-half shooting performance to equal Riley offensively.

Senior guard Lauren Harrington (Exeter, RI) fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Ashley O'Dell (Lincoln, RI) contributed 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Anchorwomen never trailed in the contest, although there were two early ties in the first four minutes. RIC began to assert itself with an 11-0 run to build a 17-6 lead at 11:48. The Huskies trimmed their deficit down to eight, but the Anchorwomen continued to hold off the visitors. RIC went into halftime up by 12 points, 34-22.

In the second half, the Anchorwomen held a double-digit advantage for the majority of the final 20 minutes. USM made a slight run, cutting its deficit down to seven points, 62-55, on a 6-0 run with 2:46 left in the game.

However, O'Dell quickly came back with a layup to ignite a 5-0 run to help secure the win.

RIC shot 43 percent (24-of-56) from the field, which was bolstered by a 58-percent (11-for-19) effort in the second stanza as the hosts played ball control offense. A key factor was the squad's 11 first half offensive rebounds, which gave them 12 extra shots.

Southern Maine outrebounded RIC, 44-35, but could not capitalize on the advantage. USM shot 36 percent (20-for-55) overall and made just two-of-17 three-point attempts.

USM junior forward Courtney Cochran (Waite, ME) posted game-high of 22 points and 16 rebounds.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at home against UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, Feb. 15.