PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team outscored Rhode Island College by 16 points over five minutes in the second half, but the Anchormen responded by ending the game on a 16-2 run to post a 77-66 Little East Conference victory Wednesday evening at the Murray Center.

The loss is the fourth in the last five games for Eastern (9-13, 5-8 LEC) and gives Rhode Island (16-7, 9-5 LEC) its first sweep of the Warriors in nine years. The Anchormen remain a half-game out of first place behind leader UMass Dartmouth.

With Keene State having lost earlier in the night, Eastern could not capitalize on an opportunity to tie the Owls for the sixth and final LEC tournament playoff spot. The Warriors remain a game behind Keene, with each team closing out the regular season with three remaining conference games. Eastern and Keene meet Feb. 19 at Geissler Gym, with the Warriors looking to sweep the Owls in this year's series.

Wednesday, Eastern trailed by 11 in the first half and by 13 midway through second half before scoring ten straight points – six on a pair of three-pointers by senior guard Jake Collagan (Wethersfield) and two inside buckets by sophomore forward Sharown Fowler (Springfield, MA) soon after entering the game – to cut the RIC lead to three, 59-56, with nine minutes left.

Two minutes later, Collagan sank three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt to give the Warriors a one-point lead, and added a long two-pointer soon after to push the Warriors into a three-point 64-61 lead.

The lead quickly vanished, however, when RIC junior forward Tim Deng swished a field goal, then followed by converting consecutive open three-point field goals from the identical spot on the floor as the hosts regained the momentum and a five-point, 69-64 lead with four minutes left.

Collagan led both team with 22 points, ten of the points coming on as many free throw attempts, and six more on his two three-pointers. Sophomore forward Seth Thomas (Norwich) followed with 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds in 40 minutes.

Junior guard Cory Muckle (Westbrook) tossed in 15 points to move to within one point of 1,000 in his three-year career. Muckle sank three-pointers a minute apart early in the second half that gave him 999 career points, but he missed his final five shots (four of them three-point attempts) to remain on the brink of the milestone.

RIC's starters accounted for all but three of the team's points. Playing all 40 minutes, the trio of Benjamin Vezele (20 points), freshman Shion Darby (16) and Keyshaun Jacobs (13) combined for 49 points, with Deng scoring 17. Vezele pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds and Darby, an eight-time LEC Rookie-of-the-Week and the conference's leading scorer (25.9 ppg.), added seven assists.

Behind Collagan, Eastern was perfect (12-of-12) from the foul line but managed just 30.8 percent from the floor, including 25 percent from distance

Eastern hosts Plymouth State University Saturday at 3 p.m., having downed the Panthers, 79-60, a month ago at Plymouth, NH.             -30-