Providence, R.I.-Sophomore forward Vandell Andrade (Providence, RI) posted nine points and 12 rebounds as the Rhode Island College women's basketball team used a stingy defensive effort to knock off Southern Maine, 47-31, at The Murray Center on Tuesday night in Little East Conference action.

Winners in six of their last seven contests, the Anchorwomen improved to 9-5 overall with a 3-1 record in LEC play. Meanwhile, the Huskies drop to 9-5 overall with a 2-2 mark in conference play.

Rhode Island College deployed a high-pressure defensive attack that held Southern Maine to a miserable 23 percent (11-for-48) shooting effort on Tuesday, which included a 10 percent (3-for-30) shooting clip in the first half. The Anchorwomen also forced USM into 20 turnovers, while coughing up the ball just 12 times on the other end.

RIC opened the game on a 7-0 run and eventually upped its lead to 10, 12-2, with 11:49 to play in the first half. After the Huskies scored five straight points to pull within five at the 9:43 mark, the Anchorwomen closed out the frame on an 18-4 run to head into the break with a 19-point halftime lead. Although the Huskies shot at a much-improved 44 percent (8-for-18) clip in the second half, USM couldn't overcome the double-digit deficit, en route to the 16-point loss.

Sophomore guard Danielle LeBlanc (Warwick, RI) finished with nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals for RIC, while freshman guard Alex Moore (West Newbury, MA) added eight points, three rebounds and two steals. Freshman forward Christian McDuffy (Brockton, MA) recorded eight points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench, while senior forward Cara Paladino (Arlington, MA) chipped in with four points and nine rebounds.

Senior guard Erin McNamara (West Newbury, MA) led the Huskies with seven points and three rebounds, but was held to just 20 percent (3-for-15) shooting from the floor in the loss. Sophomore forward Megan Pelletier (Winslow, ME) added six points and a team-high seven rebounds, but went just 1-for-9 from the field. Junior forward Taylor Flood (Sanford, ME) contributed with six points for the visitors.

After shooting 41 percent (11-for-27) from the field in the first half, the Anchorwomen finished at just a 35 percent (19-for-55) shooting clip following an ice-cold second half in which they shot just 29 percent (8-for-28).  RIC also shot just 27 percent (3-for-11) from beyond the arc and 55 percent (6-for-11) from the free throw line.

The Huskies shot 73 percent from the charity stripe (8-for-11), but connected on just 14 percent (1-for-7) of their three-point attempts.

USM held a slight, 40-39, advantage in the rebounding battle.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference action at Plymouth State on Saturday, Jan. 18 (1 p.m.).