Providence, R.I.-Sophomore forward Vandell Andrade (Providence, RI) scored 12 points and corralled 22 rebounds to lead the Rhode Island College women's basketball team to a 70-57 win over Keene State on Saturday afternoon at The Murray Center in Little East Conference action.

Rhode Island College (15-6, 9-1 LEC) has won 12 of its last 14 contests, including nine straight LEC tilts, and continues to hold sole possession of first place in the Little East Conference. The Anchorwomen have lost just twice since the calendar turned to 2014, with both of those losses coming against nationally-ranked opponents Amherst and Tufts. Meanwhile, Keene State (11-10, 3-7 LEC) remains locked into a tie for sixth place in the league after dropping its third consecutive game. 

Five Anchorwomen finished with double-digit scoring efforts in Saturday's win, including Andrade, who tied her career-high rebound total and also tallied three steals and a pair of assists on the day. Senior guard Stephanie Prusko (Lincoln, RI) totaled 14 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Cara Paladino (Arlington, MA) netted 14 points and hauled in six boards. Freshman guard Alex Moore (West Newbury, MA) registered 13 points and three assists, while sophomore guard Michelle Lagrotteria (Niantic, CT) finished with 11 points, all in the first half, to go along with four rebounds and two blocks.

Freshman guard Jovan Kingwood (Norwalk, CT) led the Owls with 10 points off the bench, while sophomore forward Ryanne Williams (Norwood, MA) added eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and two assists. Freshman forward Sarah Kober (Easthampton, MA) chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard Laurie Allien (Medford, MA) scored nine points and swiped three steals. Freshman guard Sam Murphy (Milford, CT) contributed with four points and three steals for the visitors, as Keene's bench outscored its own starting lineup, 40-17, and outscored RIC's bench, 40-6, on the afternoon.

After Lagrotteria buried three straight three-pointers to give RIC an early 9-2 lead with 16:36 on the clock, the Anchorwomen continued to storm ahead of the Owls behind a 13-5 run to take a 22-7 lead over the visitors with 9:22 remaining in the frame. RIC outscored Keene State, 16-13, through the rest of the frame to give the hosts a 38-20 lead heading into intermission. The Anchorwomen shot at a 46 percent (13-for-28) clip in the first half and outrebounded the Owls, 22-13, while KSC shot just 26 percent (6-for-23) through the first 20 minutes.

The Anchorwomen surged ahead by as many as 23 in the opening minutes of the second half as a layup from Paladino made it, 46-23, with 16:30 left to play. However, Keene State responded with a remarkable rally midway through the second half behind its second unit, as the Owls' bench went on a 24-8 scoring run over the next nine minutes to cut the deficit to just seven, 54-47, with 7:31 remaining.

Despite their best efforts, the visitors would not come any closer than seven points, as RIC quickly regained its double-digit lead over the next few minutes and eventually ran away with the 13-point, 70-57, victory. Keene State shot at a 50 percent (15-for-30) through the final 20 minutes, while the Owls bench outscored RIC's bench, 32-2, in the second half alone. Meanwhile, the Anchorwomen shot just 32 percent (8-for-25) from the floor in the second half, but still managed to stave off a furious rally from the Owls.

Rhode Island College outrebounded Keene State, 42-30, but committed 18 turnovers in the win. The Owls committed 16 turnovers of their own, but were aided by a stingy defensive effort that led to a total of 13 steals.

For the game, RIC shot 40 percent (21-for-53) from the field, 32 percent (6-for-19) from beyond the three-point arc, and 69 percent (22-for-32) from the free throw line.

Keene State also shot 40 percent (21-for-52) from the floor and went 64 percent (14-for-22) from the free throw line, but connected on just 10 percent (1-for-10) of its shots from downtown.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at home against Western Connecticut on Tuesday, Feb. 11 (5:30 p.m.).