KEENE, N.H. 1/24/08 - Senior point guard Matt Hickey (Mahopac, N.Y.) had a season high 20 points, including six three-pointers, to lead Keene State College to a 101-76 non-conference men's basketball victory over Mitchell College at Spaulding Gym on Thursday night.

The Owls (11-6), which played all 16 players in uniform, extends its winning streak to four games.  Mitchell College, from New London, Conn., falls to 1-16.   

Five players finished in double-figures for KSC. In addition to Hickey, senior forward Travon Little (Danbury, Conn.) had 15 points, junior forward Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vt.) scored 12 points, senior forward Nick Drouin (Weare, N.H.) chipped in with 11 points, and junior forward Nate Anderson (Westminster, Mass.)finished with 10 points and a team high eight rebounds.

" We came out and got into a nice rhythm and built off of that," said Hickey.  "We played are arsenal tonight and everyone made a contribution."  

The Owls knocked down three-pointers in their first three possessions, including a pair by Hickey, on the way to racing out to a 15-4 lead.  KSC added to its lead throughout the first half.  After stealing the ball, senior forward Sandel White (Danbury, Conn.), falling to the floor, found Drouin, going down the lane for a dunk putting KSC up 38-23 at the 6:05 mark.

Anderson hit a lay-up in the final seconds as KSC opened up a 56-37 halftime lead. 

Hickey netted five of his six three-point attempts to finish with 15 first half points. Sophomore guard Eric Murray (Bridgeport, Conn.), matched Hickey with 15 first half points for the Pequots.

Mitchell opened the second half with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 12 points (60-48) on a three-pointer by Murray at the 18:17 mark, but it would get no closer.  KSC scored the next nine points to push its lead back up to 21 points (69-48) with 16:20 to play.  Murray finished with a game high 25 points and eight rebounds for the Pequots.

"We really got our momentum going," said Hickey. "We're starting to hit our peak at the right time. I'm happy where we are now heading into a big stretch of LEC games."   

Keene State returns to Little East action on Saturday when it travels to Southern Maine.