KEENE, N.H.  11/22/08 - Senior point guard Michele Boudreau (Readsboro, Vt.) scored a career high 24 points, including six three-pointers, to lead Keene State College to a 83-69 victory over the University of New England in the championship game of the KSC Tip-Off Tournament at Spaulding Gym on Saturday. It's the 11th year in a row the Owls have on their tournament title.

Keene State, which improves to 5-0, is off to its best start since opening the 1989-90 season with eight straight wins.  UNE, coached by former Owl assistant Anthony Ewing, drops to 2-2.

Led by Boudreau, the Owls pulled away from the Nor'easters in the second half.

"In the second half we came out on fire and were able to put them away," said Boudreau, who earned tournament MVP honors for the second straight year. "The team is coming together.  We don't have that one person who has to score every game.  It's everybody working together and adding something every game."

"Michele was the difference for us and Jenn Kinney (Salem, N.H.), our other senior captain, had her best overall game," said KSC Coach Keith Boucher. They both stepped up and led us in the second half." 

 Both teams had the three-ball flying in the fast-paced first half. The Owls, who knocked down nine of them, had their first six baskets from the field come from behind the arc.  Boudreau connected on three of four threes for 11 first half points. However KSC hit just two of 10 shots from the line while UNE hit all nine of their shots from the charity stripe.   

UNE hit six three-pointers, including two by freshman guard Kelly Paradis (Newport, Me.) who had 11 first half points. A lay-up by Paradis, who was named the All-Tournament team, hit a lay-up in the closing minutes sent the teams to the locker room tied at 37-all.

With the scored knotted at 40-all, KSC went on a 16-3 run, capped off by a baseline three-pointer by junior forward Kristin Degou (Newburyport, Mass.) to go up 56-43 at the 13:21 mark.

The Nor'easters got the lead down eight points on a three-pointer by senior guard Ali Gamache (Dudley, Mass.) with 2:59 to play.

Boudreau answered with a three-pointer in the Owls' next possession to push KSC's lead back up to 11 points (74-63) with 2:31 to go.  Free throws by junior guard Alyssa Sapp (Hartford, Vt.) and Kinney sealed the tournament title for the Owls.

Junior forward and All-Tournament team member, Nicole Simmler (Oxford, Mass.) added 16 points and nine rebounds, Sapp contributed 13 points, Degou had 12 points and seven rebound, and Kinney finished with eight points and a team high 10 rebounds. 

 Gamache had 23 points and Paradis finished with 12 points and six rebounds for UNE.

In the consolation game, SUNY-Postdam opened up a 45-27 halftime lead on the way to cruising to an 82-60 victory over Johnson & Wales University.

Junior guard Cortney Poirier (Moira, N.Y.), a member of the All-Tournament team, had a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bears (1-1) to their first win of the season. Junior guard Rachel Graf (Elbridge, N.Y.) added 13 points and seven rebounds and senior forward Kelsey Shoen (Waddington, N.Y.) finished with 12 points.

Senior guard Alyse Ragaglia (West Newbury, Mass.), an All-Tournament member, topped the Wildcats (2-2) with 23 points.  Junior forward Alexia Ramirez (San Marcos, Ca.) had 13 points and six rebounds. 

All-Tournament Team

Cortney Poirier         SUNY-Potsdam

Alyse Ragaglia         Johnson and Wales

Jenn Kinney              Keene State

Nicole Simmler        Keene State

Alli Gamache            UNE

Kelly Paradis             UNE

MVP: Michele Boudreau Keene State