Boston, Mass.--UMass Boston sophomore guard Grace Geary (Falmouth, MA) notched 18 points, dished out 11 assists, hauled in seven rebounds and swiped five steals to lead the Beacons to a 73-47 victory over Rhode Island College in Little East Conference women's basketball action played at the Clark Athletic Gym on Saturday afternoon.

The Beacons (12-9, 4-6 LEC) jumped all over the Anchorwomen (5-14, 3-7 LEC) in the opening 3:51, starting the game on a 13-0 run, which was keyed by five points from Geary. RIC battled back, trimming the deficit down to nine, 15-6, following a pair of free throws by senior forward Devin Hill (Danielson, CT) with 3:42 left in the first quarter. RIC was able to trim the lead down to seven with 27 seconds left in the opening stanza, but UMB grabbed an offensive rebound and found Geary who nailed a trey with one second remaining to send Boston into the second quarter with a 23-13 lead.

The Beacons again opened the quarter quickly, this time using a 9-0 run, capped by a layup by junior forward Katrina Edwards (Springfield, MA) to extend their lead to 19, 32-13, with 7:19 remaining in the half. The Anchorwomen got as close as 15 points after a layup by junior forward Jenna Ayala (Pawtucket, RI) with 2:55 remaining in the second quarter, but a 6-0 run by the Beacons would send the game into halftime with the hosts holding a 40-19 lead.

The Beacons continued to open their lead after intermission, with a layup by senior forward Olivia Murphy (Canton, MA) capping a 10-2 run over the first 5:10 of the third quarter to give the Beacons a 50-21 lead. RIC was able to outscore UMB, 12-9, over the remainder of the quarter to send the game into the fourth with Boston holding a 59-33 advantage.

The final 10 minutes was a see-saw battle, with neither team able to mount any gains on the scoreboard. 

RIC shot 31.4 percent (16-for-51) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-for-12) from three-point range and 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the charity stripe. Hill led all scorers with 23 points to go along with nine rebounds. Ayala scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds off the bench in the loss.

UMB shot 48.2 percent (27-for-56) from the field, 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from downtown and 50.0 percent (8-for-16) from the free throw line. Geary did it all for the Beacons with 18 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and five steals. Murphy tossed in 13 points, while sophomore guard Katie Mathieu (Coventry, CT) scored 14 points off the bench.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference action at UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, Feb. 10 (5:30 p.m.).