KEENE, N.H. 1/31/12 – Walt Kilburn, Keene State College's public address announcer and Spaulding Gym's resident DJ, must have known something. With 1:50 to go and the Owls trailing the No. 1 ranked Panthers of Middlebury College 76-75, his song selection couldn't have been better: "Tonight's Going to be a Good Night" resonated throughout the gym, serving notice for what was about to happen.

Serenaded by the sold-out Spaulding Gym crowd as they went back on the court, the Owls, who had clawed their way back into game after being down by 10 points (72-62) with just over six minutes to play, were on the verge of a stunning win that would rock the gym and Division III men's basketball.

Rashad Wright, a junior from Agawam, Mass., hit one of his patented jump hooks to put Keene State up 77-76 with 1:12 to play, and the Owls' defense turned up the volume the rest of the way to hold off Middlebury and secure the 77-76 upset victory in front of a delirious and boisterous crowd on Tuesday night. 

"It's the greatest feeling I ever had in my life – to beat the number 1 team in the country," said junior Eric Fazio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), who finished with six points and three rebounds, and a couple of big blocks in crunch time. 

"We had an opportunity tonight that every team wishes for and we just took advantage of it," said junior point guard Ryan Martin (Wayne, Maine), who seemed to have his hands on the ball all night. "I think we played as hard as we could possibly play. We out-hustled them all game and when our backs were against the wall, we didn't cave in. We were tough all night – that's why we got the win."

Recalling his historic hoop after the game, Wright said he wasn't about to give up on the shot that had been his bread-and-butter all season. "It's a shot I know I can make," said Wright, who finished with a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds as well a couple of well-timed blocks. "I stayed confident and kept going back to it and eventually it started falling." 

Nursing a one-point lead, the sometimes maligned Keene State defense went to work. Junior Anthony Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.) would steal the ball at the other end, but the Owls first gave the ball back to the Panthers following a shot-clock violation with 19.2 seconds to go.

Junior Nicco DeMasco (Richmond, N.H.) then turned in the defensive play of the game, holding his ground and taking a charge as Panther sophomore Joey Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) went in for a lay-up. "I knew he wasn't going to pass the ball," said a smiling DeMasco, who finished with eight points and five rebounds (four on the offensive end). "So I thought, 'Step in, and if he hits me I'm going down,' and that's what I did."

With 11.8 second left and the Panthers pressing, KSC was forced to take another time out when they couldn't get the ball into play. KSC Coach Rob Colbert summoned senior Steve Boudreau (North Andover, Mass.) into the line-up and he was able to get the ball into Martin, who was quickly fouled. 

Much to the chagrin of the partisan crowd, Martin, one of the top free throw shooters in Division III, missed the front end of the one-and-one. "Everyone had confidence in me making the free throw," he said. "I missed this one, but we found a way to pull it out."

Keene State's defense came up big once again as Wright went up and blocked a potential winning basket by Kizel. The loose ball went off a KSC player, giving it back to Middlebury with 2.2 seconds on the clock. On the inbounds play, the ball, like a hot potato, again went out of bounds with .8 seconds left. Colbert explained his team's diverse defensive strategy:  "With 2.2 seconds left we thought they'd go to a shooter. With .8 left we felt they were going to lob it to Ryan Sharry [the Panthers top scorer, from Braintree, Mass.], so we were really protecting against the lob."

Thwarted in their attempt to go for the lob – thanks in large part to the presence of three Owl big men who clogged the area around the basket, Middlebury was forced to go to plan B. The Panthers got the ball to Sharry at the three-point line. His rushed shot went off the backboard and front rim and rattled out, giving KSC the upset victory. "We knew if we got a stop we'd win," said Wright. "So we buckled down like we've been doing all year."

Instead of sitting back, the Owls were in attack mode from the opening tip.  "We wanted to have the mentality of being the aggressor in the game," said Colbert.

Using their athleticism to their advantage, the Owls continuously took the rock to the rack, building a 43-38 halftime lead.

The Panthers pecked away at the Owls' lead in the second half, taking their first lead (60-58) on a three-pointer by Kizel. Later in the half, the hot-shooting Kizel nailed consecutive three-pointers from the right, left, and top of the key to give Middlebury a 10-point lead (72-62) with 6:21 to play. 

Down but not out, the Owls regrouped, calling a time-out. "I thought our kids were pretty composed in the time-out. They came out and got back to what we were trying to accomplish," said Colbert.

The Owls used some clutch shooting and great game-changing defensive stops to outscore the Panthers 15-4 the rest of the way. Out of the break, Martin hit a three-pointer and Mariano connected on a jumper to make it 72-67. Martin then went to the line following a flagrant foul, hitting both shots to cut the deficit to three (72-69) with 4:26 to go.

Wright answered a couple of Panther free throws with a put-back slam to keep it at a three-point game (74-71). Getting the ball back after a turnover, Wright ripped the ball away from a Middlebury player, getting it to senior Ollie Hunter (Bedford, N.H.), whose lay-up made it 74-73.

Kizel, who finished with a game-high 24 points, hit a couple of free throws to push Middlebury's lead back up to three points. A put-back by DeMasco made it a one-point game (76-75). The Owls got the ball back on a steal by Wright and it was time for Kilburn to cue the music.

When it was over, a jubilant crowd stormed the Spaulding Gym floor. "The crowd was ridiculous. I have to give it up to our fans," said sophomore Montel Wright (New Haven, Conn.). "The crowd definitely gave us energy tonight."

"It felt like the whole school was out there on the court with us," DeMasco said. "I haven't felt anything like that in my whole basketball career."

"I think it so good for this institution," said Colbert. "To see the fans storm the floor, that's what this is all about. That's why you have athletics. It can bring so many groups together." 

"It puts us in the national conversation. It's definitely a marquee win for the program," Colbert added. 

In addition to Wright, three other Owls finished in double figures. Playing perhaps one of his best overall games of the season, Mariano scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Martin and Hunter each had 11 points. 

Sharry finished with 18 points, but was held to just one basket in the second half. Sharry and junior Peter Lynch (Westford, Mass.) tied for game-high honors with 10 rebounds.

The numbers told only part of the story. The Owls, who shot 42% (30-71) from the field, struggled at the line, hitting just 13-26 (50%). Although they had a slim 38-37 lead in rebounds, the Owls were a terror off the offensive glass, winning the battle 21-10.

By all accounts, Middlebury (18-1), which suffered its first loss of the season, should have fared better. The Panthers shot 49% from the field (26-53) and hit nine of 13 shots from behind the arc. Kizel was a perfect 4-4. The Panthers also had a good night at the line, going 15-17 (88%).

No one can argue Keene State's strength of schedule. The Owls are now 3-2 against nationally ranked teams this season, posting wins over R.I. College (92-91), Eastern Conn. (64-56), and Middlebury, and dropping games to Williams (103-77) and Western Conn. (94-87). It's the first time KSC has faced a No. 1 team since its days in Division II, when it was beaten by Bridgeport during the 1992-93 season.

Keene State (15-4), which extends its winning streak to a season-high six games, has won all three games it has played in its short and interrupted series against Middlebury. The two teams were meeting for the first time since the 2000-01 season. 

There's still a long way to go for the Owls, who go to Rutland, Vt., on Thursday for a non-conference game against St. Joseph's College before resuming Little East Conference play on Saturday, hosting Southern Maine. With a major win in their pocket, the Owls have high hopes for the rest of the season. Keep the song handy, Walt!