Box Score
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Junior forward Marissa Nudd (Colchester) had a game-high 23 points on Wednesday evening against Rhode Island College, but it wasn't enough to help the Warriors past the Anchorwomen, who defeated Eastern Connecticut State University by a score of 70-58 in a Little East Conference game at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Rebounds and second-chance points were key areas Rhode Island College (12-5, 6-2 LEC) was able to capitalize on throughout the game to defeat Eastern for the seventh straight time. Junior guard Abby Wager had 17 rebounds and 6-foot-2 inch freshman Eva Monahan had 13 (eight on the offensive end) for the Anchorwomen, who were eliminated in the LEC tournament semifinals last year after winning four consecutive tournament titles. Combined, the duo had 30 of their team's 52 rebounds (the most allowed by Eastern this year), and Eastern finished the night with 29.

In the opening quarter, the Warriors (7-10, 4-4 LEC) were held to just nine points on 4-15 shooting from the field. Nudd was limited to just two points, while RIC sophomore guard Shalyn Smith was starting to cause problems for the Warrior defense. Smith would finish with 18 points, draining all seven of her free throws. Junior forward Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH) was active on both ends of the floor, contributing defensively with a block and a steal, while adding four points on offense.

Rhode Island College used five different scorers to expand upon their lead in the second quarter. With only seven Anchorwomen featured in the contest – the team was without its leading scorer and second-leading rebounder in junior guard Meagan Schuermann --  bench points were mostly a nonfactor, as Eastern's Trinity Angel (Killingly) made a field goal for the bench's only made shot on either side. Angel matched her career-high in minutes played with ten, also achieving double digits in Eastern's game against UMass Dartmouth on January 6.

Neither team shot well from beyond the arc as the Warriors were 3 of 15 and the Anchorwomen 5 of 23, but the damage was done on the inside. Monahan scored 10 of her team-high 21 points in the third quarter, consisting of mostly layups. Eastern responded with their best offensive quarter of the game, scoring 19 as four-time LEC Rookie of the Week Maddie Topa (New Hartford) shot an efficient 4 for 5 from the field. The first-year player matched Monahan's 10 points in the third and kept the Warriors competitive heading into the final quarter, down 13.

Nudd came alive in the fourth, scoring 10 of her own and helping her team outscore the Anchorwomen 17-16. It wasn't enough however, as Rhode Island College's 12-0 run deep into the second quarter have it a cushion that Eastern was never able to truly cut into. The Warriors fought their way back to just an eight-point deficit on a couple different occasions, but the Anchorwomen held on for their sixth win in conference play. Rhode Island College now matches Keene State's conference record, both sitting behind the Huskies of Southern Maine, who move to 8-0 in the conference after a dominant win against Plymouth State.

Monahan was 10-of-15 from the floor – all coming in the paint -- while Smith was 5-of-10 from the floor to go along with her perfect percentage on her seven free throws.

The Warriors will take a weeklong break from action as they await Western Connecticut in a matchup next Wednesday at Geissler Gymnasium at 5 p.m. The Wolves strung together two consecutive wins for the first time this season, defeating SUNY Cobleskill in a rare midseason non-conference matchup this evening. Western Connecticut will test themselves at home as they invite the University of Southern Maine to the William A. O'Neill Center on Saturday, seeking to put an end to the Huskies 13-game winning streak.

 On December 3, Eastern made it 14 straight wins and 23-of-24 over WestConn but needed to wipe out a 12-point deficit by outscoring the Wolves, 24-8, in the final quarter. Sophomore guard Liv Cassesse (Wallingford) – who had just one turnover in 39 minutes Wednesday -- had 16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for Eastern in the win over WestConn, and Nudd 16 points and nine rebounds. With the help of 13 offensive rebounds, WestConn outscored Eastern 15-0 on second-chance points, nearly doubling Eastern's points in the paint (40-22).