PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island College shot 54 percent from the field after halftime while also forcing the Keene State College women's basketball team into 17 turnovers in the final 20 minutes as the Anchorwomen went on to a 55-45 victory over the Owls in Little East Conference action at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

Records

• Keene State:  4-6, 1-2 LEC
• Rhode Island College:  7-4, 3-0 LEC

How It Happened
Despite shooting just 32 percent in the opening 20 minutes, the Owls hung around, remaining within five at halftime (26-21), but a 16-9 third quarter where the Anchorwomen shot 54 percent (7-for-13) and forced 11 KSC miscues wound up being the difference in the game.  A jumper by Kenzie Durnford at the 8:52 mark of the third quarter brought her team within 28-23, but the Owls then went nearly five minutes without a point and committed eight turnovers as Rhode Island College pushed the lead into double-figures (33-23) for the first time despite turning the ball over six times themselves in that stretch.  Two Hailey Derosia free throws with 3:51 to go in the third snapped KSC's drought and made it a 33-25 game before the Anchorwomen answered on the other end with a jumper from Neleesha Meunier.  Still, a triple from Derosia at the 1:48 mark had KSC hanging around within seven (35-28), but they were then outscored 7-2 over the rest of the third as RIC made their final three shots to lead 42-30.  It got away quickly from the Owls in the fourth after a five-point burst in the opening minute by Antonia Corsinetti pushed the lead to 17, which eventually became 51-32 with 6:20 left after consecutive layups by Meunier.  KSC scored just 11 points over the opening 13:40 of the second half, going from down five to a game-high 19.  The Owls did run off eight in a row in just 2:11 to make it 51-40 with 3:24 left, but Rhode Island College leading scorer Angelina Nardolillo fed Maire Gallagher for a layup on the next possession as the Anchorwomen held on despite scoring only four points in the final 6:20.  A jumper by Durnford and one-of-two at the foul line for Jenny Freedman made it an eight-point contest with 1:21 to go, but again Rhode Island College immediately answered – as they did all day when KSC made a push – with a layup from Nardolillo to make it 55-45 with less than a minute to go before the Owls turned the ball over on their next possession to wrap up the day's result.

Keene State had shot at least 40 percent from the field in each of their first five games of the season, but has now been under that mark in four of the last five games (1-4), including 32 and 33 percent showings in their league losses today and last Saturday to the University of Southern Maine.  This afternoon, KSC shot 28 percent or worse in the first and third quarters as RIC ran off a 7-0 run early in the first after the Owls scored the opening basket of the game and never trailed again.  Keene State responded early, getting within 8-7 on Samantha Lee's jumper at 4:02 of the first quarter and chipped a seven-point hole to one again midway through the second, but could not weather a 2-for-7 effort from the floor in a decisive third quarter where the Anchorwomen made as many field goals (seven) as the Owls took.

Jenny Freedman was the lone Owl in double figures with 10 points (6-8 FT), three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.  Durnford made 3-of-5 from the floor and finished with eight points, three rebounds, and two steals, while Samantha Lee had seven points (3-6 FG, 1-1 3-PT) and three rebounds.

Nardolillo led Rhode Island College with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double on 5-of-12 shooting.  Corsinetti and Jeniyah Jones (4-7 FG, 1-1 3-PT) each added 10 points, with Jones dishing out five assists, and the Anchorwomen outscored KSC 34-14 in the paint which helped negate their 4-for-16 (25 percent) showing from behind the arc. 

Inside the Paint

• Freedman has 29 assists in her last seven games (4.1 per) and is shooting 48 percent from the floor on the season, a career-best mark.  She is 40 for her last 87 dating back to the beginning of last year's shortened campaign.
• The Owls have lost eight consecutive games to the Anchorwomen for the second time in series history.  They have been limited to fewer than 50 points in seven of the contests, and are averaging 42.5 points per game on 31.3 percent shooting during the slide.

Up Next

• Keene State is off for 19 days and will look to turn around a stretch of six losses in eight games when they travel to the Smith College Holiday Tournament on December 30 and 31.  They will first take on the host Pioneers (8-1) on Thursday the 30th at 1:00 p.m. before battling with either SUNY New Paltz or the Rochester Institute of Technology the next day.  The opener of the tournament will be just KSC's second ever game in Northampton.  They won the only previous one 77-63 in 2014.
• The Anchorwomen, who have won six of seven after a 1-3 start, close the semester at home against LEC opponent University of Massachusetts-Boston (2-6, 1-1 LEC) next Saturday, December 18.  Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m.