'NEW YORK, N.Y.  11/22/02  –  The Keene State College women's basketball team opened up its 2002-03 season with an 82-68 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham University in a first round game of the Hunter College Tournament in New York on Friday night.

Hayley Alaimo (Ellington, CT) led the Owls with a career-high 26 points.  The senior co-captain hit six of nine three-point shots and also added 13 rebounds. Keene State hit 10 of 30 shots beyond the arc in the game.

Freshman Rebecca Hopkins (Oxford, MA.) and Andrea Arsenault (Dover, N.H.) finished with 13 points while junior guard Shannon Clarke (Trenton, N.J.) set a KSC record with 16 assists.

Keene State used a late first half spurt to take a 38-30 half time lead.  The Owls' Julie Tardif (Atkinson, N.H.) had to leave the game in the first half with a sprained ankle.  She had five rebounds, three blocks and two steals before getting injured.

The Owls will face host Hunter College in Saturday's championship game at 3 p.m.

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