Providence, R.I.—Freshman guard Dante Law (Taunton, Mass.) and sophomore backcourt mate Shion Darby (Peekskill, N.Y.) led the way for the Anchormen as the Rhode Island College men's basketball team defeated Eastern Connecticut State University, 79-75, in Little East action played at the Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS
Rhode Island College 79, Eastern Connecticut 75
Rhode Island College (1-1, 1-1 LEC)
Eastern Connecticut (0-1, 0-1 LEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first half was back and forth the entire way. ECSU held the advantage for most of the opening 20 minutes, with their largest lead of six, 13-7, coming from a freshman guard Jaylin Palmer (East Hartford, Conn.) layup at the 14:07 mark.
 
• The Anchormen clawed their way into a one-point lead, 18-17, with a Law layup with 9:36 to play in the first half.
 
• A pair of baskets by ECSU senior guard Cory Muckle (Westbrook, Conn.) gave the visitors a four-point, 26-22, lead with just under eight minutes to play in the half. A Darby jumper knotted the score at 26 with 7:16 before the intermission.
 
• RIC took a one point lead, 27-26, on a freshman guard Jordan Riley (Windsor, Conn.) free throw on the ensuing possession.
 
• Law converted a layup with 3:18 to play in the first half to extend the Anchormen advantage to 11, 39-28, with just under three minutes to play.
 
• ECSU scored the final eight points of the half, cutting the RIC lead down to two, 41-39, going into halftime.
 
• The second half played out much like the first as both teams traded buckets. Darby played a vital role for the Anchormen down the stretch, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the second half.
 
• The Anchormen posted their largest lead of 10, 63-53, after a made free throw by Law with 10:29 left to play in the second half.
 
• The visitors were able to trim the deficit down to as little as two points, 77-75, with 15 seconds left to play, but a turnover cost them the opportunity to extend the contest.
 
• A pair of free throws sank by senior forward Tim Deng (Portland, Maine) with one second on the clock iced the game for the Anchormen. 
 
• Law finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals and one assist.
 
• Darby finished with 23 points, eight assists and three rebounds. Deng added 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Riley contributed eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
• Muckle registered a team-high 22 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for the Warriors.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 45.5 percent (30-for-66) from the field, 15.4 percent (2-for-13) from three-point land and 47.2 percent (17-for-36) from the foul line.
 
• ECSU shot 40.3 percent (29-for-72) from the field, 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from three-point territory and 62.5 percent (10-for-16) from the foul line.
 
• The visitors outrebounded RIC, 49-42, while RIC held the advantage in steals, 11-5.
 
• RIC committed just seven turnovers on the day, while Eastern Connecticut had 16 miscues.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East play at UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, Feb. 3 (6:30 p.m.).