Danbury, Conn.-- Freshman guard Shion Darby (Peekskill, NY) led the Anchormen with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team fell at Western Connecticut, 89-70, in Little East action played at Feldman Arena on Thursday night.

THE BASICS
Western Connecticut 89, Rhode Island College 70
Western Connecticut (10-4, 4-1 LEC)
Rhode Island College (11-3, 4-1 LEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Anchormen jumped out to a 14-9 lead in the first four minutes before the media timeout at the 15:25 mark, with the help of two three-pointers from junior forward Tim Deng (Portland, ME).

• Follow the timeout, the Colonials knotted the score at 17, then gained the lead after an layup and a foul shot converted by junior guard Legend Johnson (Waterbury, CT).

• WC outscored the Anchormen, 24-7, over the final 6:40 of the first half  and carried an 18-point, 50-32, advantage into the half.

• The second half was controlled by the Colonials as they stretched their lead to 24 points, 66-42, with 13:13 remaining.

• The Anchormen were never able to get into a groove on offense and trailed by over 20 points for much of the second half.

• The Colonials closed out the Anchormen by 19, handing them their first conference loss of the season.

• Deng finished with a game-high 21 points and nine boards. Junior guard Keyshawn Jacobs (Lynn, MA) finished with 11 points and five boards. Senior guard Jonatan Batista (Providence, RI) added seven points, six boards and dished out four assists.

• Johnson finished with 14 points for the Colonials. Senior forward Fenton Bradley (Mansfield, CT) registered a game-high 16 points to go with nine rebounds.

BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 30 percent (21-for-69) from the field, 29 percent (10-for-34) from three point range and 64 percent (18-for-28) from the foul line.

• WestConn shot 45 percent (37-for-83) from the field, 28 percent (5-for-18) from beyond the three-point arc and 91 percent (10-for-11) from the foul line.

• WC controlled the glass with a 53-44 advantage and outscored RIC, 52-18, in the paint.

WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East play at home vs. Keene State on Saturday, Jan. 11 (3 p.m.).