PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Castleton University men's basketball team fell in Little East Conference action on Saturday evening, dropping its league-opener by a final score of 84-64 at Rhode Island College.
 
The Spartans (5-4, 0-1 LEC) made 39.4 percent from the floor (26-of-66), but struggled from three, going just 10-of-38 (26.3 percent). The Anchormen (7-1, 1-0 LEC) went 30-of-72 on the day (41.7 percent) and 11-of-30 from three (36.7 percent). RIC also made 13-of-18 free throws, while Castleton was just 2-of-5 from the line. The rebounding battle was close, with RIC holding a 48-40 edge. Castleton turned the ball over 21 times to RIC's 13 which led to a 28-9 edge in points off turnovers for the home side.
 
Remy Brown scored a team-high 15 points for Castleton, followed by Eric Shaw's 13 points in the contest. Brown hit 7-of-12 from the field, while Shaw was 4-of-11 from three. Joe Alamprese and Johnny Torrence had seven points apiece, while Jackson Atty and Kurgan Brown finished with six each. Oluwadare Sowunmi had 11 boards for the Spartans, while Darrell Hardge had six assists.
 
RIC had four players in double figures, led by a game-high 30 points from Keyshaun Jacobs. Jordan Riley had 16 points, while Shion Darby added 14. Ousmane Kourouma had 11 points and an impressive 22 rebounds for the Anchormen. Darby also had seven assists and six rebounds for RIC.
 
Castleton scored on its first possession of the game, but RIC rattled off 11 straight points over the ensuing five minutes to take an 11-2 lead. Castleton whittled the deficit back to three points over the next six-plus minutes, as Kurgan Brown hit a three to make it a 22-19 game. A three by Shaw two minutes later cut the gap to two, but RIC again went on a run to push the lead to 11 points, 35-24. A late layup by Remy Brown and a three from Shaw narrowed the halftime lead for Rhode Island College back to just six points, 35-29.
 
An 8-3 run to open the second half put RIC back on top by 11, and Castleton battled to stay in the game from there. The lead was eventually cut down to eight points with 7:17 to play when Shaw knocked down a three, but three straight threes from the Anchormen put them ahead by a game-high 17 points at the time, 69-52. Castleton was unable to muster another comeback attempt, falling by a final score of 84-64 after Remy Brown's jumper with 1:11 remaining was the final basket for either side.
 
Castleton returns to the hardwood Wednesday night at Fitchburg State at 6 p.m.