FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2010

LITTLE EAST STRUGGLES CONTINUE
FOR ANCHORWOMEN

Plymouth, NH—Senior guard Denise Scott (Yonkers, NY) scored 19 points and swiped four steals, while sophomore forward Stephanie Coro (North Providence, RI) scored 18 points, but Plymouth State squeaked past the Rhode Island College women's basketball team, 72-70, in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.

Junior Amanda Kania (Manchester, NH) and sophomore Alicia Doucet (Manchester, NH) combined for 44 points and 21 rebounds Saturday afternoon to lead the Panthers to the dramatic win.

RIC  (9-6, 1-4) loses for the third straight game and for the fifth time in the last six tries. The outcome gives the Panthers their third straight victory and improves them to 13-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Three of the Anchorwomen's losses during this stretch have been by three points or less. RIC has not lost by more than five points.

 Senior guard Denise Scott

Kania and Doucet also each hit key baskets late in the game to help the Panthers pull out the key LEC decision.  Kania, who scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, drained a huge three-pointer from the corner to deadlock the score at 66-all with 10 seconds to play in regulation, forcing the extra session. Doucet, who contributed 20 points and nine boards, including six off the offensive glass, converted a running lay-up with less than a second remaining in the overtime session to clinch the victory.

RIC freshman forward Courtney Burns (Rockland, MA) chipped in with 13 points, and sophomore forward Rachel Riley (Coventry, RI) contributed nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

PSU maintained control most of the first half, leading by one (16-15) point at the midway point before pulling away to a 14-point margin (34-20) with two minutes to play.  RIC made some free throws to get to within 11 at the intermission (34-23).

The Anchorwomen rallied with an 18-5 run early in the second half to take the lead, 45-44, with just over 10 minutes on the clock.  Scott hit three baskets in less than two minutes for RIC as the Anchorwomen built up an eight-point advantage, 66-58, with three minutes to play.  But this time PSU rallied, keeping RIC scoreless for the final three minutes of regulation while Kania rattled off eight unanswered points, the last three on that key bucket with 10 seconds on the clock, sending the game to overtime.

The score stayed close throughout the extra period.  PSU had a three-point lead with 20 seconds left, but Coro connected on a big game-tying three-pointer for RIC with 12 seconds to play.  That set up Doucet’s game-winner for the home team.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference play at Western Connecticut on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

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