BOSTON, MA - The Keene State College men's basketball team placed six players in double-digits and earned a 91-73 road victory over University of Massachusetts Boston this afternoon in a Little East Conference game at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston.  The win improves the Owls' record to 8-6 on the season, 4-1 in the LEC, while the Beacons drop to 2-13 overall, 0-5 in LEC play.

The Owls opened up the afternoon with a 10-2 run fueled by a three-point bucket by senior forward Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, VT) on the Owls' first possession.  The Beacons were able to put together a 13-5 run of their own capped by a jumper by junior guard Aaron Jones (Boston, MA/Catholic Memorial) to even the score at 15-15 with 12:13 left in the first half.

A layup by sophomore forward Pat Joseph (Queens, NY) with 3:17 to play in the first half gave UMass Boston a seven point lead, its largest of the afternoon at 35-28, but Keene State closed out the half on a 12-6 tear, including a three-point shot by freshman forward Derek D'Amours (Agawam, MA) with only five seconds remaining on the clock to cut the Beacons' lead to 41-40 heading into the locker room.

Again, the Owls opened up the second half of play on a run similar to the start of the game.  Freshman guard Quentin McMillian's(Springfield, MA) layup with 15:39 to play capped a 12-4 spurt that gave Keene State a 52-47 advantage.

A pair of free throws by sophomore center Julius Byrd (Lynn, MA) with 13:29 to play would cut the Owls' lead to three, 54-51, but it was the closest that UMass Boston would get in the contest.  Over the game's final 13 minutes, Keene State would outscore the Beacons, 37-22, en route to the 91-73 victory.

KSC Coach Rob Colbertsaid his team's improved defensive play and rebounding was the difference in the second half.  "We started being more aggressive defensively and on the glass," he said.  "Some of our freshmen are also stepping up and making a contribution."

D'Amours finished with a game-high 19 points, including 5-11 shooting from downtown for the Owls.  Also in double figures for the visitors was Kathan who ended with up 18 points, followed by McMillian with 12.  Rounding out the starting five in double figures were freshman guard Tavonne Reid (Bridgeport, CT) with 11 and senior forward Nate Anderson (Westminster, MA) with 10 in addition to 10 rebounds.  Freshman forward Cody Snow (Leyden, MA) came off the bench to score 10 points on a 5-6 shooting performance in 14 minutes of play.

The Beacons saw four of their five starters register double-digits led by Joseph's 6-7 shooting performance for 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Also with 15 points was senior point guard A.J. Titus (Roxbury, MA).  Junior forward Ernst Jean (Malden, MA) dropped 12 points, scoring in double figures for the fifth time in six games and also had a game-high four steals.  Freshman guard Chris Milton (Milton, MA) finished the afternoon with 10 points.

Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday, January 20 in Little East Conference action when Keene State College travels to Plymouth, NH to take on Plymouth State University for a 7:30 p.m. match up, while UMass Boston heads to Gorham, ME to face the University of Southern Maine for a 7:30 p.m. game.

(Courtesy UMass-Boston Sports Information)