Providence, R.I.--Junior forward Jenna Ayala's (Pawtucket, RI) 14 points off the bench helped the Rhode Island College women's basketball team secure a 57-51 victory over Eastern Connecticut in Little East Conference action played at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.
In a game which saw three Anchorwomen starters foul out, including leading scorer, senior forward Devin Hill (Danielson, CT), the Anchorwomen got a strong performance from their reserves to pick up a win over the first place Warriors.
The Anchorwomen (5-12, 3-6 LEC) started the game on a 7-0 run, and extended their advantage to 11 points, 17-6, following a layup by sophomore forward Rybecca Gonzalez (Pawtucket, RI) with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter. The Warriors (14-5, 7-2 LEC) rallied, trimming the deficit back down to single digits entering the second frame, 21-12, following a made free throw by junior guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield, CT).
The second quarter saw Eastern further chop away at the RIC lead, cutting the advantage down to just one, 25-24, after a made trey by DePoi off a feed from senior forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) with 3:56 left in the quarter. The Anchorwomen clamped down defensively, and a made layup by Ayala with 54 seconds left in the second quarter sent the game into the half with RIC holding a 28-24 advantage.
RIC shot 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field in the half while the Warriors registered a mark of 29.2 percent (7-for-24).
Eastern continued to battle back, and a layup by junior center Lexis Foster (Groton, CT) with 4:47 left in the third quarter gave the Warriors their first lead in the game. The teams traded baskets over the next four plus minutes, with a layup by RIC junior guard Kyshani Dummott (Canton, MA) as time expired sent the Anchorwomen into the fourth quarter up by four, 43-39.
The fourth quarter saw the teams continue the see-saw action, with a layup by Ritrosky knotting the game at 49-49 with 2:22 remaining in the contest. The Anchorwomen were able to ride the hot shooting of Ayala down the stretch, outscoring the Warriors, 8-2, over the remainder of the game to secure the victory.
RIC shot 40.7 percent (24-for-59) from the field, 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from three-point land and 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from the free throw line as a team. Ayala led the way offensively, scoring 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. Gonzalez scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists, while Hill scored eight and grabbed three rebounds in limited minutes.
Eastern was held to 28.1 percent (16-for-57) from the field, 11.8 percent (2-for-17) from downtown and 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the charity stripe as a team. Ritrosky led all scorers with 20 points, while also hauling down 11 rebounds. DePoi scored four points and corralled 11 rebounds and three steals in the loss.
In upcoming action, the Anchorwomen will host ninth-ranked Tufts in a non-conference contest on Tuesday, Feb. 2 (7 p.m.).