WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Junior guard Lindsey Karsmarski (MERIDEN) sparked a decisive late-game run by scoring a basket and setting up two more with an assist and steal to lift the Warriors to a 78-64 Little East Conference victory over Keene State College Tuesday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

The win is the ninth straight for Eastern (11-6, 5-2 little east) over Keene State (11-6, 5-3 little east) and the 15th in 17 meetings all-time in this series. With the win, Eastern moves a half-game ahead of Keene into second place in the conference behind the University of Southern Maine. The loss snaps a two-game conference winning streak for the Owls.

Eastern led by two at halftime and by six, 60-54 with just under eight minutes left before scoring three straight unanswered baskets to move out to an 11-point, 66-55 lead with 6:26 left. Karsmarski, who has come off the bench to score at least ten points in five of the last seven games, swished a bucket, found senior guard Jen Bergeron (JERICHO, VT) open for a jump with a pass, then stole the ball for an eventual jump shot by sophomore guard Michelle Bruneau (CHESHIRE) to make it 66-55 with 6:26 left. The lead never dipped below seven thereafter, cresting at the final 14-point margin.

Keene shot 62.5 per cent from the floor in the first half to keep pace over the first 20 minutes. The Owls led by four, 21-17 before the Warriors went on a 13-2 run -- fueled by two three-point field goals and an assist from Karsmarski --to build a seven-point, 30-23 lead with seven minutes left in the half.

Sophomore forward Sandy Mosley (GOSHEN) of Eastern led all players with a season-high 20 points, Bergeron adding 16, Karsmarski 13 and senior guard Sarah McDonald (WEYMOUTH, MA) ten. Mosley also contributed a career-high six assists and junior center Katie Kline (NORTH BROOKFIELD, MA) a career-high five to go along with a game-high seven rebounds.

Karsmarski was 3-for-4 from three-point range to improve her conference-leading percentage to 54.9 (28-for-51) from beyond the arc. As a team, the Warriors were 6-for-13 from three-point range, Keene 5-for-13.

As a team, Eastern commited a season-low eight turnovers and shot 50.8 per cent from the floor.

Sophomore forward Sarah Begnoche (Millville, MA) led the Owls with a career-high 17 points and six rebounds. Begnoche took all 11 of her teams free throw attempts, sinking nine.

Sophomore guard Bri Barnes (Merrimack, NH), Keene's top scorer, exceeded her season average with 14 points and freshman guard Danielle Graveley (Schenectady, NY) added ten points and four rebounds. Barnes was 6-for-8 from the floor. Junior forward Stacey Morse (Lebanon, NH) had eight points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first half but did not score after the break, missing her only two tries from the field.

KSC travels to Middlebury College for a non-conference game on Thursday (7 p.m.) Eastern visits Rhode Island College Saturday at 1 p.m. in a Little East Conference game.

(Courtesy ECSU Sports Information)