The Rhode Island College women’s basketball team rolled past visiting UMass-Dartmouth 70-55 last weekend to win its fourth-ever Little East Conference Championship.

Leading the way for the Anchorwomen was junior guard Antonia Corsinetti, who logged a career-high 27 points and was named the tournament’s MVP.

“It was a big game and we all had to come out and play as hard as we could. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, that’s for sure. They’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs,” said Corsinetti.

The Johnston native was thrilled to have a breakout performance in a season in which she saw her minutes steadily increase, as well as her overall statistics as she became a staple in the RIC lineup.

“It’s a big accomplishment for me. You just work hard and produce whatever is needed and asked from (RIC) Coach (Jenna) Cosgrove. Play defense, rebound and just do whatever you’re being asked. The biggest challenge for me was defense. I knew that I could put the ball in the basket, but Coach Cosgrove really challenged me to step up defensively and I was able to,” Corsinetti said.

With the win, RIC qualified for the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

The Anchorwomen will be taking on powerhouse St. John Fisher in the opening round, which is set to begin on Friday. Corsinetti and company are thrilled to return to the tournament after last year’s was canceled due to the pandemic.

“It’s very exciting, it’s very rewarding.

We’ve been working very hard since we got to school. Working out, playing pick up, everyone doing what they could before we started on Oct. 15. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a tournament last year, so that was our ultimate goal. Getting to the tournament and we accomplished that,” said Corsinetti. “We are on a high right now and it was really exciting to be in the film room watching our name be called.

We’re just excited to be there and to hopefully come out with a win.”

Joining her in the action on Saturday were fellow Johnston natives Jordan Moretti and Kaylin Zalewski, who suited up for UMass-Dartmouth. Corsinetti enjoyed being able to take on her old friends and continue a rivalry that has existed for a number of years, as she graduated from Bay View while the two others attended Johnston High.

“It’s always a great experience, Kaylin and Jordan are great. Since high school we have always played each other and it is always a battle. I love it. We love when the whole town of Johnson comes to our games, doesn’t matter if it’s at RIC or Dartmouth, it’s always a great atmosphere,” said Corsinetti.