BOSTON, Mass. 12/5/09 - Freshman guard Amber Alberto (Waterbury, CT) netted 12 points and the Keene State College women's basketball team held a 37-4 advantage on points off turnovers en-route to a 67-35 victory over host University of Massachusetts Boston this afternoon in the Little East Conference season opener at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston.  The Owls improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in LEC play, while the Beacons fall to 3-4 and 0-1.

Kate Levy (Falmouth, MA) made a pair of free throws for UMass Boston for a 2-0 lead with 19:17 showing in the first half, but it would be the Beacons' only lead of the contest as Keene State scored the next nine points over a 3:21 span and never looked back.  The Owls maintained a 14-7 lead with 12:58 to go in the first half, before going on a 13-5 run to take a 27-12 advantage with 7:21 to play in the first stanza. 

Freshman guard Elizabeth Dow (Marshfield, MA) later completed a three-point play with a free throw for UMass Boston to cut the deficit to 29-18, but Keene State netted the final nine points of the half, including five from sophomore guard Sara Laudano (North Haven, CT) to take a 38-18 intermission lead.  

The Owls' defense held the Beacons scoreless for the first 2:50 of the second half and did not yield a field goal from the home team until Dow hit a layup with 12:52 left on the clock.  All the while Keene State was enjoying a 24-3 stretch to open the second session, fueled by five points from senior guard Alyssa Sapp (Hartford, CT), to give the visitors its largest lead at 62-21 with 9:45 remaining in the contest. 

The Owls later owned a 64-24 lead with seven minutes left in the game, before UMass Boston scored 11 of the final 14 points, led by nine points from junior guard/forward Kristen Penney (West Roxbury, MA), to set the final score at 67-35.

Neither team shot well for the game, but Keene State held the Beacons to just 27.9% (12-43) from the field for the game, including 23.1% (6-26) in the second half, while forcing 30 turnovers.  The Owls shot 38.6% (27-70) for the contest. 

Alberto was 6-8 from the floor and added four rebounds, four steals and an assist in just 19 minutes of action for Keene State, while senior forward Nicole Simmler (Oxford, MA) chipped in with nine points, six boards, two steals and an assist in 23 minutes.  Senior guard Kristin Degou (Newburyport, MA) contributed with nine points, three rebounds, three steals and an assist.

Penney led UMass Boston with nine points, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing for an assist off the bench.  Dow finished with a career-high 11 rebounds in addition to six points and a blocked shot, while senior guard/forward Caroline Ashe (West Roxbury, MA) netted six points and pulled down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

The Owls will continue their road trip as they travel to Gorham, Maine on December 12 to take on University of Southern Maine at 1:00 p.m.

(Courtesy UMass.-Boston Sports Information)