Providence, R.I.--Amherst College used a stifling defense effort and hot shooting from the field to capture a 63-39 non-conference victory over Rhode Island College in women's basketball action played at The Murray Center on Wednesday night.

Amherst (7-0) ranked second in the nation in the latest D3Hoops.com poll, outscored the Anchorwomen (3-5), 18-9 in the opening quarter to set the tone for the entire contest. The Anchorwomen jumped out to a quick, 5-2, lead following a pair of made free throws by junior guard Alex Moore (West Newbury, MA). The Lord Jeffs took control from that point on, outscoring the Anchorwomen, 16-4, to end the quarter up 18-9. Amherst buckled down in the second quarter on the defensive end, outscoring the Anchorwomen, 20-6, in the frame to take a commanding, 38-15, lead into the halftime break.

RIC was held to just 20.0 percent (4-for-20) shooting from field with Amherst shooting 41.4 percent (12-for-29) in the frame.

The second half opened slowly, with both teams struggling from the floor. Amherst took control late in the quarter, upping its advantage to 32 points, 49-17, following a layup by sophomore forward Jackie Nagle (Colchester, VT) with 2:07 left in the third quarter. RIC used a mini, 3-0, run to close the quarter, sending the game into the fourth with Amherst leading by 29, 49-20. RIC slowly chipped away in the third quarter with a made jumper by Moore cutting the deficit down to 22, 59-37, with 3:27 left in the fourth. That is as close as RIC would get, as Amherst walked away with a 24-point, 63-39, victory.

Moore led the way for RIC with 14 points on 2-for-3 shooting from downtown. Senior forward Devin Hill (Danielson, CT) chipped in 11 points in the loss. RIC shot 28.6 percent (12-for-42) from the floor and 84.6 percent (11-for-13) from the charity stripe for the game.

Nagle scored 13 points and grabbed six boards with junior guard Ali Doswell (Richmond, VA) pouring in a game-high 15. Amherst shot 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from the floor and 86.7 percent (13-for-15) from the charity stripe.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume Little East Conference play at Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 12 (1 p.m.).