DARTMOUTH, MASS. 2/24/04 - The fifth-seed Keene State College women's basketball team had its hopes of advancing to the Little East Conference semifinal round snapped with a 80-64 loss to fourth-seed UMass-Dartmouth in a quarterfinal tournament game at the Tripp Center on Tuesday.

The Owls, who were beaten by UMD three times this season, had won the previous 12 meetings against the Corsairs since joining the LEC in the 1997-98 season.  The victory was UMass-Dartmouth's first in a Little East Conference Tournament since 1992 and improved the Corsairs' record to 11-15 overall for the season.  Keene State concludes its season at11-15. 

UMass-Dartmouth advances to the LEC Tournament semi-finals on Friday night at Gorham, Maine where the Corsairs will take on top-seeded Southern Maine (25-1), 89-47, first round winners over eighth-seed UMass-Boston.  In the other LEC Tournament semi-final, second-seed Eastern Connecticut, an 87-51 winner over seventh-seed Plymouth State University will take on third-seed Rhode Island College, a 54-46 winner over sixth-seed Western Connecticut. 

Amy Satkevich (Quincy, Mass.) scored 17 points and six rebounds to lead a balanced scoring attack for the Corsairs, who also got 13 points from Bridget Bowes (Mansfield, Mass.) along with 12 points each from Katie Lunnin (South Boston, Mass.) and Kelly O'Neil (Mansfield, Mass.).  Keene State's Andrea Arsenault (Dover, N.H.) had a team-high 19 points, while Bekka Hopkins (Oxford, Mass.) scored 12 points and Brianne Barnes (Merrimack, N.H.) chipped in 11 points.

Holding a 38-36 lead at halftime, UMass-Dartmouth put the game away in the second half with a 21-7 run over the fist six minutes. UMD pushed its lead to as many as 26 at 78-52 late in the half.  UMD connected on 12 three-pointers on the night, the most by the Corsairs in a single game this season.  The Corsairs shot 58% from the floor in the second half, connecting on 15 of 26 from the floor, while holding the Owls to 27% (8-29). 

"They shot incredibly well from the arc in the second half (5-7), and gained confidence," said KSC head coach Keith Boucher.  "Unfortunately, we missed some shots and buried ourselves."

"I wish we would have won one more conference game during the season," Boucher added.  "We would have been a third seed and hosted a quarterfinal game.  Maybe the results would've been different." 

KSC had earned ECAC tournament berths the past two years.