PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Senior forward Cameron Gallon (York, Pa.) notched a double-double with team highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team was edged in a nailbiter at Little East Conference foe Rhode Island College, 71-69, Tuesday night at The Murray Center.

Junior guard Tayejon Lynch (Cambria Heights, N.Y.) and senior forward Jourdan Belcher (Elmsford, N.Y.) joined Gallon in double figures scoring with 15 and 13, respectively. Senior guard Jeremiah Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) collected a game-high four steals.

Anchormen reserve Xavier Mendez shot a scorching 10-of-15 from the field to lead all scorer's with 25 points to go along with 14 boards. Ousmane Kourouma pulled down a game-high 16 off the glass. 

Neither squad shot the ball particularly well as the lead changed hands several times in the first half before RIC put together a spurt. Isaiah Dahl pulled up and drained a three-pointer on a fast break opportunity to put the hosts ahead 28-21 with 4:37 remaining before halftime. The visitors chipped away at the advantage and would trail by four after Gallon sank a pair of free throws heading into the break.

The Anchormen stretched the advantage to 14 in the early minutes of the second stanza. However, the Wolves came roaring back to capture a 68-67 lead when Lynch tipped home a missed layup from Gallon with 54 seconds left on the clock. Senior forward Malik Cole (Brooklyn, N.Y.) sank a free throw to make it 69-67 with 20 ticks to go. The hosts answered when Dwa Robinson-O'Hagan powered home a layup while being hacked. He would then sink the ensuing shot from the charity stripe, giving RIC a 70-69 lead with 10 seconds remaining. WestConn came out of a timeout and a layup attempt failed. The Wolves were forced to foul and Kourouma hit the second of two strokes to make it 71-69. The Wolves then hoisted a three-point attempt that fell short as time expired.

With the win, RIC improved to 10-4 and 6-0 in league play, while WestConn dropped to 8-7 and 4-2. The Wolves will look to rebound when they head to Keene State for yet another conference matchup on Thursday night.