KEENE, N.H. – Four days after preventing an opponent from scoring from the floor in the first quarter, the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team limited Keene State College to two second-quarter field goals and 12 first-half points in rolling to a 68-47 Little East Conference victory Wednesday evening at Spaulding Gymnasium.
 
A winner of eight straight this year and ten in a row all-time against Keene State (4-14, 2-10 LEC), Eastern (17-4, 11-1) kept its opponent under 50 points for the 13^th time this year and seventh time in the last eight games.
 
 With four LEC regular-season games remaining, Eastern remains one game behind Rhode Island College (19-2, 12-0 LEC), which routed Western Connecticut State University, 70-47, Wednesday, for its 18^th straight win. The Warriors and two-time defending LEC champion Anchorwomen meet a week from tonight at Geissler Gymnasium. Rhode Island won the first game of the home-and-home series, 51-37, Jan. 4.
 
A 63-47 winner over visiting Keene State Jan. 10, Eastern limited the Owls to 22.2 percent shooting in rolling up a 25 point, 37-12 halftime lead.
 
Sophomore forward Taylor Salato (East Haven) scored 17 points for the second straight game and reached double figures for the fourth straight time off the bench in posting a game-high scoring total. Salato was 5-of-5 from the line to extend her consecutive free throw streak to 19 over three games. She is 27 of 28 from the stripe in the last four games and 51 of 60 this year for a team which leads the LEC in free-throw percentage. Salato is second in the conference with a season percentage of 85.0.
 
All 13 healthy Eastern players saw at least six minutes of action. Senior forward Mariah Dunn (Meriden) followed Salato with 12 points (6-of-7 FG) while senior forward Anna Barry (Andover) had nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Salato added six rebounds and Dunn and senior guard Julie Keckler (Trumbull) five each and senior guard Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, MA) handed out five assists.
 
Eastern hosts Castleton University Saturday at 1 p.m. in a conference game. The Spartans (14-6, 7-4 LEC) dumped visiting Plymouth State University, 63-46 Wednesday night.