DANBURY, CT (Feb. 14) -  The Western Conn. women's basketball team overcame a 33-21 halftime deficit to post a 51-48 Little East Conference victory over Keene State College on Saturday. The game was a battle of top regional teams. Western Conn and Keene State were ranked sixth and seventh respectively in this week's Northeast poll.

The Owls, who saw their four game winning streak come to end,  fall to 18-5 and 8-4 LEC.  They are tied with Southern Maine for the third place in the conference. WestConn improves to 18-4 on the season and remain in contention for the LEC regular-season title with a 10-2 league mark.

Senior Alyssa McGhee (Hartford, CT) and sophomore Heather Lee (Seymour, CT) each scored 17 points and the Western Connecticut State University defense were virtually importunate over the final 20 minutes in the Colonials come-from-behind win.

After trailing 33-21 at intermission, the Colonials held the Owls to 14.8% shooting from the floor (4 of 27) and just 15 points the rest of the way.  The visitors went scoreless for 8:38 in the early going of the second stanza and relinquished a 16-point lead in the meantime. 

McGhee, one of seven seniors that were recognized prior to the start of the game, buried a three pointer from the corner with 2:55 remaining in the game to give WestConn its first lead of the contest, 47-44

Lee found her shooting touch in the second half as she canned 12 of her 17 markers over the final 20 minutes.  Eleven of her second-half points came during Keene State's drought.

Keene State's Michele Boudreau (Readsboro, VT) hit one of two free throws with 2:21 remaining, but the visitors could not get any closer than that two-point deficit, 47-45, down the stretch.  Boudreau finished with a team-high 17 points.

Sophomore Melissa Teel (Hamden, CT) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with three points and two blocked shots for the winners.

Kristin Degou (Newburyport, MA) had 13 points for the Owls, who travel to Eastern Conn. Tuesday to face the fifth ranked (region) Warriors.