Providence, R.I.—Sophomore guard Shion Darby (Peekskill, N.Y.) piled up 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, while freshman guard Dante Law (Taunton, Mass.) led the Anchormen with 22 points, as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team opened regular season play with a 102-82 setback vs. Keene State in Little East Conference action played in The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS
Keene State College 102, Rhode Island College 82
Keene State (1-0, 1-0 LEC)
Rhode Island College (0-1, 0-1 LEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Keene State opened a one-point, 13-12, lead with 14:48 left to go in the first half before the Anchormen offense took over. RIC went on a 22-7 run over the next five minutes to build a 34-20 advantage. Darby and Law led a three-point bonanza during the outburst, as each contributed six points.
 
• The Owls ripped off 11 straight to close the gap to a single possession, 34-31, as five different Keene State players scored.
 
• KSC senior guard DeVon Beasley (Andover, Mass.) cashed in a trey to put the visitors up by one, 37-36, at the 5:45 mark. The score was tied, 37-all, with 5:35 left as Owls scored nine straight to lead, 46-37, with just under four minutes left in the opening stanza.
 
• A layup by senior center James Anozie (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) gave the Owls at 10-point, 50-40, lead as KSC went into intermission up by seven, 50-43.
 
• Keene shot 57 percent (20-for-35) over the first 20 minutes, while the Anchormen cashed in 7-of-19 (37 percent) from downtown and held a slight advantage in rebounding, 27-25.
 
• The Owls picked up right where they left off in the second half, outscoring the hosts, 19-4, over the first eight minutes to lead by 22, 69-47. KSC increased its lead to a game-high margin of 24 points, 93-69, with just under five minutes remaining, and did not see its advantage dip below 17 points the rest of the way.
 
• Five Owls scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward Jeff Hunter's (Hudson, Mass.) game-high 25 points. He notched a double with a game-high 14 boards as well.
 
• Freshman guard Mason Jean Baptiste (Lynn, Mass.) finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Classmate guard Nate Siow (Lowell, Mass.) and Beasley chipped in with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
 
• Law added five rebounds for RIC. Freshman guard Jared White (North Plainfield, N.J.) contributed 13 points, five boards, four assists and a pair of steals.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 36 percent (30-for-84) from the field, 25 percent (9-for-36) from three-point land and 59 percent (13-for-22) from the charity stripe.
 
• KSC shot 51 percent (41-for-81) from the field, 33 percent (9-for-27) from downtown and 52 percent (11-for-21) from the free throw line.
 
• Keene State led in rebounding, 62-45, and dished out 21 assists. Keene turned the ball over 17 times, while RIC committed 13 miscues.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East play at home vs. UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, Jan. 27 (6:30 p.m.).