WILLIMANTIC, Conn.  –   The Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team scored the first 13 points of the game, and used a 19-11 third-quarter run to seal a 68-53 Little East Conference victory over Western Connecticut State University Wednesday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Eastern (12-4, 5-1 Little East) connected on six of its first seven shots in building a ten-point lead after one quarter, senior forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield), and junior guards Jordyn Nappi (Southington) and Julia DePoi (Brookfield) combining on 15 points in the first ten minutes. Ritrosky added 11 of her game-high 23 points when the Warriors cemented the victory in a third quarter -- when Western (10-6, 4-2 Little East)  failed on nine of 12 field goal attempts – in taking an 18-point, 56-38 advantage into the final ten minutes.

Eastern, Keene State and the University of Southern Maine remain locked in a first-place tie in the conference while Western drops a game behind.Eastern has won five straight and improved to 8-2 at home. Western had won four of its previous five games.

Ritrosky hit more than half of her shots from the floor and was 7-of-8 from the stripe and totaled a game-high nine rebounds to move within 17 rebounds of becoming the second player in program history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Nappi followed Ritrosky with 14 points – 12 coming in the first half -- with senior guard Victoria Pfohl (Trumbull) handing out nine assists, and DePoi finishing with eight rebounds. Junior center Lexis Foster (Groton) came off the bench for 11 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes.

Junior guard Emily Dobson led Western with 17 points, junior forward Alecia Dulaire grabbing a team-high eight rebounds, freshman forward Tashai Price coming off the bench for seven rebounds.

Eastern visits the University of Southern Maine Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern has won five straight conference games since losing to the Huskies in its LEC opener, 51-43, Dec. 5.