WIILIMANTIC, CONN.2/13/13 – Eastern Conn. State University outscored Keene State College 22-13 in the overtime period to post a 93-84 Little East Conference men's basketball victory at the Francis E. Geissler Gym in Willimantic, Conn. on Wednesday night.

In overtime, Eastern (17-7, 11-2 Little East), scored eight consecutive points to break the fifth and final tie of the game and junior guard Brian Salzillo (North Haven) and junior forward Mike Garrow (Terryville) combined to sink 12 free throws over the five-minute extra session.

With its tenth win in its last 12 games, Eastern equals its conference regular-season win total of a year ago by downing Keene State (15-9, 9-4 Little East) – the pre-season LEC favorite for the ninth time in last ten meetings.

With one regular-season LEC game left, Eastern continues to trail Rhode Island College by one game. The Anchormen defeated host Western Connecticut, 69-60, Wednesday night.

Keene State (15-9, 9-4 LEC), which lost for only the third time in 12 games on its opponents' home court this year, remains in third place in the conference, two games back of Eastern and one ahead of the University of Southern Maine.

Garrow (9-for-10 from the foul line) led all players with 25 points and added seven rebounds and two steals, while freshman guard Trachone Preston (Enfield) had 20 points and six assists, Salzillo 17 points (7-for-8 from the foul line) and senior forward Chris Robitaille (Canton) 15 points and a career-tying 14 rebounds.

Sophomore Tom Doyle (Wallingford, Conn.) led the Owls with a season high 20 points and a career best 10 rebounds.

It was a bittersweet loss for senior forward Eric Fazio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), who finished with 18 points. Fouled going for an offensive rebound early in the second half; Fazio stepped to the line and hit both free throws to reach the 1,000-point career mark. He becomes the 30th men's basketball at KSC to reach the milestone and the third player to earn the honor this season, joining senior teammates Ryan Martin (Wayne, Maine) and Antony Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.). It's the second time in program history the Owls have had three players score their 1,000th point in a season. In 1988-89, Jeff Johnson, John Jennings and Mark LaSelle all reached the milestone.

Fazio was shaken up after taking a charge with 4:35 to go in regulation and didn't return to the game.

After a slow start, Martin scored 14 points while freshman Tre'Tipton (Stanford, Conn.) finished with 13 points.

Capped off by a three-pointer at the buzzer by Preston, the Warriors outscored the Owls 16-3 over the final 5:36 of the half to take a 39-31 lead at the break.

Preston hit a pull-up jumper with 1:16 to play in regulation, putting the Warriors up 71-68. After a strong defensive stand, the Owls got the ball back. Left wide open in the left corner, Tipton drained a three-pointer to tie the game at 71-all with 14.8 seconds left on the clock.

Eastern had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Preston and senior Tyler Hundley (Cheshire, Conn.) missed shots as time expired.

The Warriors held the Owls to just one basket in the first minute of overtime, allowing them to take an 81-73 lead on a couple of free throws by Garrow.

KSC got the lead down to four points (85-81) on a lay-up by junior John Boyatsis (Dover, N.H.) with 25 seconds to go. A pair of free throws by Garrow and a breakaway lay-up by Preston pushed the Warriors lead back up to eight points (89-81) with 13 seconds to play.