Rhode Island College

The 2011-12 Rhode Island College women's basketball was the first team in program history to win both the Little East Regular Season and Tournament Championships.

Head Coach Marcus Reilly's team posted a 25-4 overall record and a 13-1 (first place) mark in the Little East.

The Anchorwomen set the program record for wins in a season and earned the program’s first-ever Little East Conference Regular Season Championship. Rhode Island College followed that feat with its first-ever Little East Conference Tournament Championship, clinching the program’s first NCAA Div. III Women’s Basketball Tournament appearance since 1985. RIC was selected as a host site for first and second round games, marking the first time the college hosted an NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game. After knocking off Baruch in the first round, 69-54, the Anchorwomen suffered their first home loss of the season, falling, 57-52, at The Murray Center in the second round to Emmanuel.

The season began in dubious fashion after Rhode Island College fell in its opener at the University of New England, 63-62, on Nov. 19. However, the Anchorwomen bounced back with three straight victories to close out the month of November, all of which were by double-digits. As the calendar turned to December, RIC suffered its second defeat of the season and fell to 3-2 with an 81-73 loss to Emmanuel on Dec. 1. Yet, a pair of losses in the first five games left the Anchorwomen unfazed, as they proceeded to rattle off 17 straight victories, 12 of them by double-digits.

After a perfect month of January and 11 consecutive conference victories, RIC dropped its first contest in over two months, falling at Little East Conference-foe Southern Maine, 72-68, on Feb. 11, ending the longest winning streak in program history. Yet, Rhode Island College responded just three days later with a 66-38 win over Western Connecticut to seal the regular season title and No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

As the Anchorwomen closed out the regular season with a 13-1 record in the Little East Conference, it set up a date in the semifinal of the conference tournament with defending champion-Western Connecticut. Top-seeded RIC quickly dethroned the fourth-seeded Colonials to advance to the Conference Championship game, where Rhode Island College met Southern Maine. Both teams went back and forth throughout much of the game, but RIC pulled ahead late in the second half to take down the Huskies, 50-44, on Feb. 25 to seal its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 27 years.

In his fourth season at the helm of the program, Coach Reilly was named the Little East Conference Coach of the Year as well as the New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) Coach of the Year. Reilly also received the Cox Sports R.I. Basketball Media Tom Carmody Award, signifying him as the Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year (C.C./Div. III).

Athletic Hall of Famer Rachel Riley-Schafer ’12 was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Women’s DIII News. She was also named First Team All-Little East and All-ECAC, Second Team All-Region by the New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) and Third Team All-Northeast Region by D3Hoops.com. Athletic Hall of Famer Stephanie (Coro) Barlow ’13 became the program's second all-time leading scorer and earned All-Little East honors for the third time in her career. Cynthia Gaudet, a transfer from Div. II Franklin Pierce, was named the Little East's Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Little East and to the league's All-Defensive team.