Providence, R.I.--Freshman guard Chris Donaldson (Bridgeport, CT) hit a jumper with 11 seconds remaining to propel the Rhode Island College men's basketball team to a thrilling, 70-68, victory against Keene State in a Little East Conference contest played at The Murray Center on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore forward Benjamin Vezele (Providence, RI) paced RIC (8-7, 2-3 LEC) with a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, while senior forward Domonique Bull (Worcester, MA) also had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Junior guard Malcolm Smith (Old Orchard Beach, ME) was also in double figures with 15 points, three steals, two boards and two assists in the victory.

Keene State (10-5, 3-2 LEC) was led by sophomore forward Ty Nichols (Springfield, MA) with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, six steals and five assists. Junior guard Dizel Wright (Springfield, MA) was also in double-figures with 16 points, seven boards and four assists in the setback.

The two teams traded leads throughout the early stages of the game with the score tied, 14-14, midway through the first half. Keene State then used a 15-6 run to take its largest lead of the first half, 29-20, on a conventional three-point play from Wright with 4:29 left. RIC cut into the lead in the late stages of the stanza, closing to within four points after a layup by freshman guard Chris Farrington (Fall River, MA) made the score 34-30 heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Anchormen knotted the game, 39-39, on a layup by Bull with 16:25 left in the contest. Again, the two teams battled back and forth with the score tied for the 10^th time in the contest, 59-59, with just less than four minutes remaining. A layup by senior guard Matt Ozzella (Medway, MA) put the visiting Owls up 68-67 with 17 seconds left in the game. Donaldson then provided the heroics for RIC with what would prove to be the game-winning jumper, making the score 69-68 with 11 seconds left. Bull then added a free throw for RIC for the three-point, 70-68, advantage before a last second three-pointer from Keene State senior guard Jaquel Edwards (Manchester, CT) just missed at the buzzer.

RIC shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field, 13.3 percent (2-for-15) from behind the three-point stripe and 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the free throw line. Keene State shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the field, 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from three-point land and 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from the free throw line.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will continue Little East Conference action at UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, Jan. 19 (5:30 p.m.).