AMHERST, MASS. 12/3/03 - The Keene State College women's basketball team suffered its second consecutive loss, a 61-55 defeat to Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., on Wednesday night. 

Keene State falls to 3-2, while Amherst improves to 3-1 with the win. 

Senior sharpshooter Shannon Russell (Shrewsbury, MA) paced the Jeffs with 17 points on the strength of three three-pointers.  Fellow senior guard LaShauna Barboza (New Bedford, MA) nailed a trio of long-range bombs as well, joining Russell in double figures with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Amherst began the game with a 9-1 spurt and led by as many as 16 in the first half, but Keene State battled back with a 15-3 run after the break, taking its first lead of the game, 51-50, on a mid-range jumper by rookie forward Sarah Begnoche (Millville, MA) with 7:31 left in regulation.  The Jeffs regained composure (and the lead) with a layup by first-year forward Caroline Polales (Chicago, IL) off a nifty feed from Russell and then bumped the lead to six with a three by Barboza and a Russell bank shot.  The Owls cut the lead to three points with a trio of charity tosses by sophomore guard Bekka Hopkins (Oxford, MA), who was hacked in the act at the top of the arc at the 2:40-mark.  The Jeffs then held on down the stretch, as Keene State missed its last five shots in the waning minutes. 

Senior forward Andrea Arsenault (Dover, NH) paced the Owls with team-highs of 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Amherst sophomore forward Katie Latham (Wakefield, MA) had a strong outing on the boards, coming off the bench to grab a career-high 12 rebounds in her first game of the season. 

Keene State returns to action for its first Little East Conference game on Saturday (1 p.m.) at UMass-Dartmouth. 

(courtesy of Amherst College Sports Information)