CONCORD, N.H.  12/2/2003- What was expected to be a close game between two of New England's top Division III teams turned out to be a lopsided 97-63 victory by Keene State College over Colby-Sawyer College at the Granite State Division III Challenge hosted by New Hampshire Technical Institute on Tuesday night.

Alphonse Michalski (Northampton, Mass.) had a career-high 27 points and added six assists to lead the Owls, who improve to 3-1.  Chris Timson (Beverly, Mass.) added 14 points, and Sean Sullivan (Athol, Mass.) and Adam Gervais (Chelsea, Me.) finished with 12 points each.  Matt Wheeler (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) and Harley Davis (Newburyport, Mass., tied for top rebounding honors with 10 a piece.

The Owls gradually pulled away from the Chargers on the way to building a commanding 27-point lead (51-26) at the break. Timson's lay-up capped off a 11-2 run that put KSC ahead 29-10 with 7:25 to play, and a conventional three-point play by Michalski pushed the advantage up to 41-18 at the 3:32 mark of the first half.

KSC utilized its pressure defense and strong work in the paint throughout the game.  The Owls forced 26 Charger turnovers and had a 51-36 rebounding advantage.

Chris Condon topped CSC (1-2) with 19 points.

Keene State returns home to face Southern Vermont in a non-conference game Thursday (7:30 p.m.) at Spaulding Gym.