Willimantic, Conn.--Freshman guard Shion Darby (Peekskill, NY) scored 20 points as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team defeated Eastern Connecticut, 72-69, in Little East action played at Geissler Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.

THE BASICS
Rhode Island College 72, Eastern Connecticut 69
Rhode Island College (13-3, 6-1 LEC)
Eastern Connecticut (7-8, 3-3 LEC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
• RIC jumped out to a quick, 8-0, lead from the help of a three ball by junior guard Keyshaun Jacobs (Lynn, MA) and a trey from Darby, which led to a timeout by Eastern Connecticut just 3:11 into the first half.

• The Warriors gained their first lead of the day, 14-11, after a three-point jumper from sophomore forward Seth Thomas (Norwich, CT) with just under 13:00 remaining in the first half. 

•The Anchormen knotted the score at 22 apiece after a sophomore guard Deyshawn Tengbeh (East Providence, RI) layup and regained the lead, 25-22, on the next possession after a Jacobs trey with 6:28 to go in the half.

• The Anchormen led by three, 39-36, at halftime.

• Darby led all scorers with 14 points at the half. Jacobs had 13 of his own.

• The Anchormen held the lead for the first 12 minutes of the second frame before the Warriors regained the advantage, 59-58, on a three ball by senior guard Jake Collagan (Wethersfield, CT) with 7:31 remaining.

• A Jacobs three-pointer with 56 seconds remaining in the second half gave the Anchormen a one point, 68-67, lead and they held on for their sixth league win of the season.

• Jacobs finished with 25 points and two rebounds. Senior forward Ben Vezele (Providence, RI) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. 

• Junior forward Tim Deng (Portland, ME) finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Jonatan Batista (Providence, RI) scored five points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists.   

• Thomas finished with 13 points and four rebounds for the Warriors. Collagan scored a team-high 16 points and dished out four assists.

BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 38 percent (26-for-69) from the field, 30 percent (10-for-33) from beyond the three-point line and 67 percent (10-for-15) from the foul line.

• ECSU shot 43 percent (28-for-65) from the field, 36 percent (8-for-22) from three-point range and 71 percent (5-for-7) from the line. 

• RIC controlled the glass with a 44-40 advantage and outscored the Warriors, 17-9, on second chance points.

WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East play vs. UMass Boston on Saturday, Jan. 18 (3 p.m.).