WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Prior to Wednesday, the Rhode Island College women's basketball team had won 44 of its previous 46 games in Little East Conference regular-season play en route to winning three straight LEC titles.

Both of the losses had come at the hands of Eastern Connecticut State University as the teams split the regular-season series both last year and in 2021/22.

In a re-match of last year's LEC title game won by Rhode Island  (17-0, 8-0 LEC) over Eastern (6-11, 4-4 LEC) Wednesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymasnium, the Anchorwomen made sure – and quickly – that the Warriors did not record their third win in the last three years.

Rhode Island, ranked No. 3 nationally, stretched a 17-point halftime lead to a final winning margin of 52 – the largest winning margin for Rhode Island over Eastern in the 100-game series – by scoring  52 second-half points in an 87-35 rout.

Rhode Island remains the only unbeaten in the conference, maintain a one-game lead over UMass Dartmouth and a two-game lead over the University of Southern Maine.

Eastern, having lost all five starters from a team which reached the LEC final for the sixth time in the past eight years a year ago, is in fourth place at the halfway point of the LEC regular season, a half-game ahead of Plymouth State University.

Against Rhode Island, Eastern managed to reach ten points in a quarter only once, was outrebounded by nearly 2-to-1 (allowing 20 offensive rebounds that accounted for 21 points and gave up 30 points off of its 22 turnovers. The Anchorwomen turned the ball over only eight times and came up with 15 steals.

Featuring a balanced team all season, six players grabbed at least five rebounds and 12 found the scoring column. Angelina Nardolillo had 17 points (8-of-12 FG) and five rebounds, Madison Medbury 11 points (5-of-7 FG) and seven rebounds, Izabelle Booth 11 points, five rebounds and five assists and Sophia Guerrier – the MVP of the 2021 LEC tournament -- six points, nine rebounds and four steals. Senior center Neleesha Meunier came off the bench for nine points and seven rebounds for the winners.

The visitors outscored Eastern 24-0 from three-point range, sinking eight of 26 attempts.

Junior forward Taylor Salato (East Haven) had 15 points and nine rebounds for Eastern, falling a rebound shy of her seventh double-double for the fifth time.

Eastern visits the University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday at 1 p.m.