Gorham, Maine–Despite sophomore forward Vandell Andrade's (Providence, RI) 15 points and 17 rebounds, the Rhode Island College women's basketball team fell to the University of Southern Maine, 64-48, on Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium in Little East Conference action.
Andrade gathered nine offensive rebounds in another monstrous effort on the glass for Rhode Island College (16-7, 10-2 LEC) and added three steals and two blocks along the way, while senior guard Stephanie Prusko (Lincoln, RI) registered 13 points. Freshman guard Alex Moore (West Newbury, MA) and freshman forward Christian McDuffy (Brockton, MA) each chipped in with eight points.
Although Saturday's loss snapped a 10-game Little East Conference winning streak for RIC, the Anchorwomen still hold sole possession of first place in the conference standings with just two regular season LEC games remaining. With a win at UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, Rhode Island College clinches the second Little East Conference Regular Season Championship in the history of the program.
Senior guard Erin McNamara (West Newbury, MA) poured in 18 points and handed out three assists for Southern Maine (16-7, 8-4 LEC), as the Huskies move into a tie for second place in the league standings with Eastern Connecticut. Junior forward Rebecca Knight (Alfred, ME) recorded 14 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Megan Pelletier (Winslow, ME) tallied 14 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Rhode Island College was held to a paltry 25 percent (16-for-62) shooting effort on the afternoon, which included a 15 percent (3-for-20) mark from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the red-hot Huskies shot 52 percent (24-for-46) from the floor and 46 percent (5-for-11) from downtown.
Keyed by a 22-8 run to open the game and nine first-half points from McNamara, the Huskies went into the break with a 26-20 lead over the Anchorwomen. RIC shot just 21 percent (7-for-33) through the first 20 minutes, but managed to cut the halftime deficit to just six points after closing out the frame on a 12-4 scoring run.
After the two teams swapped baskets to open the second half, the Anchorwomen pulled within three points, 33-30, following a pair of free throws from Moore at the 12:41 mark, but did not come any closer to USM in the double-digit loss. Spearheaded by a trio of three-pointers from McNamara, the Huskies outscored RIC, 31-18, through the final 12 minutes of the game en route to the, 64-48, victory.
Despite pulling down 18 offensive rebounds as a team, the Anchorwomen were out-rebounded by USM, 39-37, on the day. RIC, however, won the turnover battle on Saturday, as the visitors only committed nine turnovers, while forcing the hosts in 13 turnovers.
Rhode Island College shot 72 percent (13-for-18) on foul shots, while Southern Maine shot 73 percent (11-for-15) from the charity stripe in an efficient outing at the free throw line for both teams.
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College travels to UMass Dartmouth to battle the Corsairs in Little East Conference action on Tuesday, Feb. 18 (5:30 p.m.).