KEENE, N.H. 1/15/02-Chris Timson (Beverly, MA.) and Dave Stantial (Beverly, MA.) had 20 points each and finished with 11 and 10 rebounds respectively to lead the top ranked (New England Div. III) Keene State College men's basketball team to a 98-78 Little East Conference win over Eastern Connecticut at Spaulding Gym on Tuesday.

It was the eighth straight win (three shy of the school record set in 1979-80) for Keene State (11-1) which remains undefeated in LEC play with a 5-0 mark. Eastern CT (8-7, 4-2 LEC) saw its four game winning streak come to an end. The Owls jumped out 23-4 lead in the game. But the Warriors fought back to get within six (39-33) with 2:42 to play in the first half. A buzzer beating deep three-point shot by Stantial, who had 11 first half points, gave KSC a 47-38 lead at the break.

KSC eventually pulled away from ECSU in the second half. Stantial put the Owls up 61-47 with a trey and Matthew Wheeler (Shrub Oak, NY) extended the lead up to 24 points with a driving lay-up with 9:21 to play.

All 16 players on the KSC bench scored at least one point in the game except for Chris Urquhart (Salem NH). Gordon Shepard (Waterbury, CT) and Michael Kipphut (Meriden, CT) topped the Warriors with 19 points each. ECSU top scorer Rich Vega was held to just 10 points.

Earlier in the day, KSC found out it had received the top ranking in the first New England poll of the season. "It was very flattering, " said KSC Coach Rob Colbert, but I'd rather be there at the end of the season."

Keene State travels to R.I. College for a LEC game against the Anchormen on Thursday (7:30 p.m.).