CONCORD, N.H. 11/15/09 - Keene State College's winning streak at the Jacob's Bridge Through Autism Classic continued on Sunday, but it wasn't easy. 

            The Owls erased a 16-point second-half deficit to post a thrilling 85-82 come-from-behind victory over in-state rival Colby-Sawyer College at NHTI in Concord and remain undefeated (10-0) in the 10-year tournament.  Plymouth State defeated New England College 65-45 in the tournanmet's first game.

            Unlike the last second three-pointer by David Sontag that gave KSC a 81-80 win over the Chargers in the 2005 classic, the young Owls pulled off this come back victory with a scrappy defensive effort.  

            "That's going to be the backbone of out team," said sophomore guard Steve Boudreau (North Andover, Mass.).  "We kept fighting and scrapping away. Our pressed worked well and we were able to pull it out."

            "It shows we have the fight in us to make a comeback like that," said junior forward Cam Fisk (Keene, N.H.).  "No one gave up."

            Keene State hanged tough against the more-experienced Chargers until the closing minutes of the first half.  Colby-Sawyer, who shot 53 percent from the field and hit three of its five three-pointers in the half, went on a 17-2 run extending a one point (28-27) lead to a16 point advantage (45-29) over the finals eight minutes.  An off-balanced  three-pointer in the closing seconds by sophomore forward Derek D'Amours (Agawam, Mass.) sent KSC to the locker room down by 11 (46-35).

            "In the first half, we didn't know how to react to what they were throwing at us, but in the second half we came out with fire," said Anthony Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.), one of the eight freshmen that saw action in the Owls' opener. 

            Keene State Coach Rob Colbert and his staff made some adjustments at halftime to get the Owls back into the game.  "We were able to get our hands on the basketball, force deflections, and put pressure on their offense," he said. 

            "We were really reeling at one point, but I thought momentum and fatigue became an issue for them," said Colbert.  "I think they got a little bit tired we were fortunate to have kids we could bring of the bench."

            Down by 16 (59-43) just under the four minute mark in the second half, the Owls made the first of several runs at the Chargers, getting the deficit down to six on a pair of free throws by Mariano, who scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. 

            Every time KSC made a dent into the lead, Colby-Sawyer answered with a couple of hoops to keep the Owls at bay. 

            The Owls finally caught the Chargers with a 5-0 spurt with just over two minutes to play.  D'Amours, who finished with a game and career high 33 points, hit a driving lay-up to get KSC within three (80-77).  KSC got the ball back on a turnover and made tied the game (80-all) on a lay-up and free throw by Mariano. 

            After a missed lay-up by the Chargers' Corey Willis, the Owls got the ball back with just under a minute to play.  KSC appeared to lose the key possession, but D'Amours tracked down the ball and went in for the lay-up and was fouled on the play.  The conventional three-point play put the Owls up 83-80 with 52 seconds to go.

            "We've been pressuring them all game and it finally paid off," said D'Amours who was 11 for 19 from the field (58%), connect on three shots behind the arc, and hit eight of his 10 free throws. 

            "That was something Derek wouldn't do last year," said Colbert.  "It really shows his growth over the course of a year."

            A basket by Jon Chaloux, who led CSC with 21 points and 11 rebounds, cut the Owls lead to one (83-82) with 35 seconds to play.  Needing to get the ball back, the Chargers fouled D'Amours, who hit a couple of crucial free throws to make it 85-82 with 8.7 seconds on the clock.

            Both teams missed free throws in the closing seconds and a desperation heave by Chaloux as time expired fell shot of the basket as the Owls held on the win.

            Colbert and the Owls called the game a valuable learning experience.  "I think it's a big confidence booster," said D'Amours.

            "Next time we're down by 14 or 10 points at the half, we know we have the fire-power to come back," said Colbert.

            A sparkplug in the Owls backcourt freshman Geoff Woodbury (Hyde Park, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points. Boudreau finished with a team best five rebounds.

            All five Chargers starters finished in double figures.  In addition to Chaloux, David Russo scored 16 points, Willis had 13 points and Will Bardaglio and Jason Chevrefils each had 11 points.

            Despite giving up size up front, KSC held their own on the board with each team pulling down 35 rebounds. 

            Keene State returns home this weekend to host the Noyes Volkswagen Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Spaulding Gym.