Anchorwomen drop Seahawks in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Senior guard Cara Paladino (Arlington, Mass.) finished with a game-high 20 points, while sophomore forward Vandell Andrade (Providence, R.I.) recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds, to propel the Rhode Island College women's basketball team to a 76-53 win over Salve Regina on Tuesday night at The Murray Center in non-conference action.

Senior guard Stephanie Prusko (Lincoln, R.I.) poured in 17 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while sophomore guard Danielle LeBlanc (Warwick, R.I.) added 10 points, four assists and two steals. Paladino also chipped in with seven points, two steals and two assists for the Anchorwomen (4-4), while Andrade contributed with four assists, three blocks and three steals.

The Seahawks (3-4) were led by junior forward Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.), who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) posted a team-high 16 points to go along with a pair of rebounds.

The Anchorwomen shot a whopping 46 percent (38-for-76) from the floor in the win, which included a 50 percent (16-for-32) shooting effort in the second half alone, and forced the Seahawks into 19 turnovers en route to the victory. RIC, who only coughed up the ball nine times in the win, opened the game on a 22-10 run and never looked back, as the Anchorwomen held the lead from start to finish.

After taking a 43-25 lead into the intermission, the hosts picked up where they left off and extended their lead to 20. Although Salve Regina was able to chip into the deficit and cut the margin to 15 on several occasions, the Anchorwomen bounced back and pushed the lead to 23, which proved to be the eventual margin of victory.

Although she was held scoreless in the contest, freshman guard Alex Moore (West Newbury, Mass.) had a solid outing for RIC, as she registered five assists and five rebounds in the win. Sophomore forward Devin Hill (Danielson, Conn.) was solid as well, as she chipped in with seven points and four rebounds for the Anchorwomen.

On the other end, freshman center Jillian Woodward (Orono, Maine) scored six points and grabbed five rebounds, while blocking two shots for Salve Regina. Senior forward Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) contributed with five points and six boards in the loss.

The Seahawks shot just 31 percent (15-for-48) from the field in the loss, while shooting just 13 percent (1-for-8) from downtown. Salve Regina did, however, capitalize on its free throw opportunities, as the visitors shot at a cool 88 percent (22-for-25) clip from the charity stripe.

Despite the red-hot shooting effort from the field, the Anchorwomen connected on just 25 percent (2-for-8) of their shots from beyond the arc. RIC also shot just two free throws on the night, although the hosts connected on both attempts.

Rhode Island College also held a 42-35 rebounding advantage over the Seahawks and hauled in 19 offensive boards as a team. The Anchorwomen also dished out 21 assists as a team, compared to just seven dimes for Salve Regina.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume Little East Conference play at home against UMass Boston on Saturday, Dec. 14 (1 p.m.). Salve Regina's next game is also against the Beacons, but not until January 2, when the Seahawks enjoy their first home contest of 2013-14.