'KEENE, N.H. 3/1/06- Sophomore Matt Hickey's (Mahopac, N.Y.) left baseline three-pointer with 3.2 seconds left to play lifted top seed Keene State College to a dramatic 80-77 victory over eighth seed Colby-Sawyer College in a quarterfinal game of the ECAC Division III Nedw England Tournament played at Spaulding Gym on Wednesday night.

It was Hickey's only basket of the game.  "It was sweet. The opportunity presented itself and I was able to knock down the shot," said Hickey.  "We didn't want the season to end tonight.  We're in this to win the championship and that's what we're going to try to do."

Keene State (21-7) moves on to the semifinals where they will face the winner of the R.I. College-Coast Guard game on Friday (7 p.m.) at Spaulding Gym. Colby-Sawyer concludes its season with a 17-11 mark.

The Owls took their largest lead of the first half 37-28 on a tip-in by Ben Maynard (Nobleboro, Me.) at the 4:49 mark.  The Chargers came back to cut KSC's halftime lead to  44-40.  Anthony Licitra (Glastonbury, Conn.), who got the start in place of Kevin Ritter (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), who missed the game due to illness, had 10 first half points for KSC.  Andrew St. Clair (Pittsfield, Me.) and Collin Bray (Brookline, Mass.) topped CSC with 10 points each.  With three first half rebounds St. Clair became the first Charger player to reach the 1,000-rebound career milestone.

The game came down to the final minutes of play.  After the Chargers took a five point lead (77-72) on a free throw by Pat Kenny (Wethersfield, Conn..), the Owls came back to tie the game on a basket by Licitra and a three-pointer by Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vt.) from the top of the key with 53 seconds to play. 

Following a missed shot by CSC's Scott Butterworth (Hamilton, Mass.), KSC got the rebound and called a time-out to set up the game-winning hoop by Hickey.

Licitra led KSC with a career-high 20 points, Kathan finished with 16 points, and Sullivan added 11 points for KSC.

St. Clair topped CSC with 19 points while James Thorpe (Concord, N.H.) and Bray had 18 points each.  Thorpe had a game-high 14 rebounds. 

Keene State is making its seventh appearance in the ECAC Tournament in the past nine seasons.  They have never won the championship.

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