Keene, N.H. 1/10/12 –  Junior Siobhan Carnell (Quincy, Mass.) scored 19 points and the Keene State women's basketball team overcame a three-point barrage by the Colonials to post a 69-60 Little East Conference win over Western Conn. State at Spaulding Gym on Tuesday. 

            The Owls, who had lost their last nine games to the Colonials, improve to 8-3 and 3-1 in conference play. Western Conn. falls to 10-4 overall and 2-2 in the LEC.

Western Conn. lived and died by the three-point basket in the first half  The Colonials hit four of their first six shots from behind the arc, taking a 21-12 lead on a three ball by sophomore Chelsea Mone (Bristol, Conn.) with 8:52 to go in the half.

With the threes no longer dropping for WCSU, KSC finished the half with a 15-0 run to take a 27-12 lead at the break.  The run started with a conventional three-point play by senior Courtney Cirillo (Windsor Locks, Conn.) and concluded with a baseline runner by Carnell with 1:40 to go.

The Colonials continued putting up threes in the second half.  A three ball from the top of the key by senior Jackie Zilnicki (Riverhead, N.Y.) tied the score at 48-all.  KSC responded with an 11-0 run to go up 59-48 after Cirillo grabbed her own rebound and was fouled after hitting a lay-up.

The rest of the game became a contest between the free throw shooting of the Owls and the three-point shooting of the Colonials.  Junior Nicole Eanniello (Danbury, Conn.) knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to get WCSU within seven (65-58) with just under a minute to play.  KSC hit just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

"It was raining threes out there. That's their game this year and we didn't do as good of job defending it," said KSC Coach Keith Boucher.  "I thought we got a good contribution from sophomore Carly Kiernan (Topsfield, Mass.) and freshman Rachael Brucks (Suwannee, Geo.) did a nice job running our offense, but you have to make free throws, especially in your own gym.  We need to do a better job from the line."

Cirillo and freshman Kiernan each finished with 11 points.  Cirillo and Meghan Farrell (Chester, Vt.) pulled down a game high nine rebounds.

Nkonoki, who knocked down four three-pointers, had a game high 17 points to lead the Colonials.  Eanniello had 11 points and Zilnicki finished with 10 points.  Western was 14-39 (36%) from behind the arc while KSC hit just one of its three-point attempts. Conversely, the Owls were 20-31 from the line (65%) while the Colonials went to the line just seven times, hitting four of their shots.

KSC won the battle of the boards 43-33.

The Owls travel to Worcester State on Thursday for a rare weekday matinee (12 p.m.) while the Colonials travel to Plymouth State for a LEC game on Saturday (1 p.m.).