PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Castleton University women's basketball team dropped its Little East Conference opener on Saturday afternoon, falling 60-46 at Rhode Island College.
 
The Spartans (4-3, 0-1 LEC) struggled from the floor, shooting just 27.6 percent overall (16-of-58) while making 28.0 percent from three (7-of-25). Rhode Island College (5-4, 1-0 LEC) put in 40.4 percent of its shots (23-of-57) and 36.4 percent of its threes (8-of-22). The Spartans were 7-of-14 at the free-throw line, while RIC was 6-of-8. The Anchorwomen held a 50-30 edge on the glass, including a 13-8 edge in offensive rebounds which led to a 12-1 advantage in second-chance scoring. Castleton turned the ball over only 12 times to RIC's 21 turnovers, but both teams turned the opposition's miscues into 15 points each.
 
Ryleigh Coloutti had a team-high 12 points for the Spartans, shooting 5-of-14 and adding four rebounds and two steals. Kelly Vuz joined Coloutti in double figures with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Gwyn Tatton had eight points and five rebounds, while Olivia Perry added six points and seven boards.
 
Rhode Island College was led by 19 points from Angelina Nardolillo. Nardolillo had a dominant day, hauling in 15 rebounds as well for a double-double. Antonia Corsinetti had 12 points for the Anchorwomen, and Abby Phelan added 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers.
 
The first quarter was a tight battle, with RIC holding a 12-11 edge after the first 10 minutes. The hosts began to pull away in the second quarter, outscoring Castleton 20-9 in the frame to take a 32-20 lead into halftime. The game remained close for the first five minutes of the quarter, however, as Castleton's Jordan Levesque knocked down a three to give the Spartans a 20-19 lead. The Anchorwomen took over from there, scoring the final 13 points of the quarter to go into the break up double digits.
 
RIC opened the second half on an 11-1 run to take a game-high 22-point lead, 43-21. Castleton began to chip away at the lead from there, using an 8-1 run of its own to cut the gap back to 15 points. After a RIC triple, Coloutti scored a last-possession layup to send the game to the final 10 minutes with Castleton trailing 47-31.
 
Castleton scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, bringing the deficit down to just 10 points. Threes by Lauren Pratt and Coloutti on consecutive possessions kept the Spartans within striking distance at 10 points, but RIC went on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach with just two minutes remaining, 60-43. Pratt's three with 1:22 remaining was the final score of the game for either team, giving the contest its 60-46.
 
Castleton is back in action Wednesday night at Colby-Sawyer for a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.