Providence, R.I.-Senior guard Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, RI) and classmate forward Rachel Riley (Coventry, RI) each finished with 15 points as the Rhode Island College women's basketball team shut down Tufts, 62-41, at The Murray Center on Tuesday evening in non-conference action.

"Our kids came out from start to finish with postseason level intensity on the defensive end and really earned a quality win," said Head Coach Marcus Reilly. "There were moments that our offense really had to grind out some rough patches but the Tufts defense deserves credit for that. This was a big non-conference win for our program."

After Tufts (17-4) got on the scoreboard first in the opening minutes of the ballgame, courtesy of a free throw from junior guard Bre Dufault (Hampden, MA), RIC (18-2) went on an 8-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 14:27 remaining in the first half. The Anchorwomen controlled the game from there, as they soon increased their lead to double-figures heading into the intermission. The Jumbos mustered just 17 points in the first half on 15 percent (4-for-26) shooting from the floor.

The second half was much of the same for Rhode Island College, as they cruised past Tufts behind the stellar play of Gaudet and Riley. The duo finished with 15 points each, with Riley adding nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Meanwhile, Gaudet chipped in with six assists and three steals, while also scoring her 1,000^th career point midway through the first frame. Gaudet, who tallied 679 points during her three-year career at Franklin Pierce, has notched 330 points so far this season with the Anchorwomen.

RIC's outstanding defensive effort forced the Jumbos into just 23 percent shooting (13-for-56) on the evening, while Tufts also committed 18 turnovers in the loss. Although the Jumbos capitalized on their opportunities at the free throw line (14-for-19), the visitors shot just 1-for-18 from beyond the three-point arc. On the other end, the Anchorwomen shot 40 percent from the field (21-for-52) and 85 percent (17-for-20) from the charity stripe.

Senior guard Stephanie Coro (North Providence, RI) registered eight points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Nicole Girard (Foster, RI) and junior forward Courtney Burns (Rockland, MA) seven points. Junior guard Ashley O'Dell (Lincoln, RI) added six points, four assists and three boards in the win.

Senior forward Kate Barnosky (Huntington Station, NY) led the Jumbos with 11 points, while junior guard Collier Clegg (Evanston, IL) added eight points off the bench. Freshman guard Kelsey Morehead (Foster City, CA) and sophomore guard Liz Moynihan (Storrs, CT) each tallied six points, while senior guard Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, MA) finished with four points and team-high eight rebounds.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume Little East Conference action at UMass Boston on Saturday, Feb. 4 (1 p.m.).