Box Score PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Junior forward
Kendall Robinson (East Patchogue, N.Y.) tallied 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team to a thrilling 82-80 win at Little East Conference foe Rhode Island College on Monday evening.
Senior guard
Matthew Turner (Trumbull, Conn.) and junior forward
Jaheim Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joined him in double figures, netting 19 and 18 points, respectively. Turner finished a sterling 5-of-11 (46 percent) from three-point range while handing out five assists.
WestConn connected on 16-of-19 (84 percent) free throw attempts while RIC went just 10-of-16 (62 percent).
The hosts jumped out to an early 11-7 lead before WestConn rallied with a run. Junior forward
Solomon Silas (Danbury, Conn.) powered in a layup off a feed from Turner to round out the spurt, giving WestConn a 21-14 advantage midway through the first half.
The hosts countered with a run of their own to recapture the lead and it switched hands several times before a Young offensive putback just before halftime. WestConn would hold a 43-41 lead at the break.
They widened the gap to 12 points before RIC retaliated once again. The hosts sliced the deficit to 67-66 with 4:20 remaining when Shion Darby sank a jumper.
WestConn began to pull away but RIC would not go down without a fight as they cut it to one point with a corner three-pointer with 32 ticks left.
However, both Robinson and senior guard
Wes Nelson (Queens, N.Y.) - who dished out a game-high seven assists - each connected on a pair of shots from the stripe to cement the win for WestConn.
They improved to 9-7 overall and 3-5 in league play, while the Anchormen dropped to 11-5 and 4-4. WestConn returns to action for another LEC tilt when they host UMass Boston on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
