GORHAM, Maine  - Senior forwards Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vt./Springfield) and Nate Anderson (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) combined to score 39 points and grab 17 rebounds to power the Keene State College Owls past the University of Southern Maine Huskies 73-64 in Little East Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium in Gorham, Maine.

                Winners of five straight games, Owls upped their overall record to 5-2 and start their LEC season with a 1-0 mark.  Dropping their fourth consecutive game, the Huskies fall to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in the Little East.

                Kathan was able to score in the paint and from the perimeter to register a game-high 22 points.  Kathan was 6-for-12 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Anderson notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.  A force in the low block for the Owls, Anderson was an outstanding 7-for-10 from the field.  KSC freshman guard Ryan Bourgeois (Bedord, N.H./Trinity) added nine points, while freshman forward Cody Snow (Leyden, Mass./Pioneer Regional) tossed in eight points off of the bench with a 4-for-7 effort from the field.

               "Both Kathan and Anderson were able to establish position in the post and that worked in our favor," said KSC Coach Rob Colbert.  "The play was sloppy at time, but anytime you can win an LEC game on the road you take it."

              USM freshman forward Sean Bergeron (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) led the Huskies with a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.  Freshman guard Mike Poulin (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) added 11 points and three streals off of the bench, while junior forward Andy Tracy (Ellsworth, Maine/Maine Central Institute) tossed in 10 points and grabbed nine boards.

                Clinging to a one-point, 26-25, lead late in the first half, Keene State outscored the Huskies 9-1 over the final six minutes of the opening stanza to open up a 35-26 halftime advantage.  Kathan and Anderson each scored three points and freshman guard Derek D'Amours (Agawam, Mass.) dropped in three of his five points of the game in the run. 

                Southern Maine threatened the Keene State lead midway through the second half pulling to within a basket of the Owls.  With the Owls leading nine, 47-38, after one of two free throws from freshman guard Tavone Reid (Bridgeport, Conn./Fairfield Prep), the Huskies scored six unanswered points on two free throws from Tracy, a steal and a lay up from Bergeron and a driving lay-up from sophomore guard Kione Morgan (Garland, Texas/Naaman Forest) to trail KSC 47-44 with 13:05 to play.  However the Owls countered with a 7-0 run including a three-pointer and a layup from Kathan to secure the win.

                 "After they made their run, we were able to slow down the tempo and run a few plays," said Anderson.  "The defense played great.  Everyone did a good job of helping out to eliminate easy baskets."

                Keene State finished the game shooting 48.0 percent (24-for-50) from the floor and was an outstanding 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from three-point range.  Southern Maine shot 38.7 percent (24-for-62) from the field.

                Southern Maine returns to action on Monday (7:00 p.m.) when it host UMaine Farmington in a non-conference game.  Keene State travels to Rhode Island College on Saturday (3:00 p.m.) for a Little East Conference game.

(Courtesy USM Sports Information)