Providence, R.I.-Freshman forward Vandell Andrade (Providence, RI) grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and scored nine points as Rhode Island College grinded out a 46-31 win over Eastern Connecticut in Little East Conference women's basketball action played at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Anchorwomen (6-2, 2-0 LEC) win their third straight game as the Warriors (2-7, 0-2 LEC) fall for the seventh time in the club's last eight games.

Senior forward Courtney Burns (Rockland, MA) led the way with a game-high 12 points to go along with three boards and two assists. Junior forward Cara Paladino (Rockland, MA) contributed eight points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Ashley O'Dell (Lincoln, RI) had eight points, while classmate forward Alexia Vega (North Providence, RI) had four points and seven boards off the bench.

Freshman forward Brianna Leonard (Amherst, MA) posted eight points, five rebounds and two steals, while sophomore forward Shannon McCourt (New Fairfield, CT) registered six points and five boards, for the visitors.

Both teams struggled to find their offense in the game, especially Eastern, which shot 21 percent (12-for-57).  RIC finished at 33 percent (18-for-55). The hosts controlled the glass (48-40), but lost the turnover battle (21-17).

The Anchorwomen were white hot offensively to start the game, opening with a 12-0 run to take control. O'Dell canned two three-pointers, Paladino made a layup, while Andrade and Burns each sank a pair of free throws to build the lead.

The Warriors fell behind, 16-2, with 14:27 remaining after Burns made a layup. However, Eastern began to chip away at its deficit by going on a 13-6 run to pull within seven, 22-15 at the half. The hosts shot 28 percent (8-for-29) from the field and Eastern came into intermission at 20 percent (7-for-35).

The Warriors played the Anchorwomen tough through the first 10 minutes of the second stanza and closed the gap to one possession, 29-26, at 10:12 on a Leonard layup. RIC responded with a 6-2 run, capped by an Andrade layup, to make it a 35-26 game with 8:27 remaining.

Eastern Connecticut saw its deficit increase to 12 points, 41-29, after a Burns layup with 5:03 left and the Anchorwomen cruised the rest of the way for the win.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will travel to the University of Rhode Island on Sunday, Dec. 16 (2 p.m.).