PROVIDENCE, R.I. 2/23/13 - Looking to capture their first Little East Conference championship since 2004, the third-seeded Keene State College men's basketball team came up short, falling in the finals 60-53 to top-seed Rhode Island College at the Murray Center in Providence on Saturday.

With the win, Rhode Island College (25-3) earns the LEC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament.  Keene State ends its season at 17-11.

Senior Ryan Martin (Wayne, Maine) led the Owls with a game-high 17 points. "It was an emotional game. It's a game we definately thought we could come out here and win,"'said Martin.  "Things didn't go our way and we didn't play as well as we could.  It's a tough loss for us."

Senior Eric Fazio (Hopewell Junction) added 10 points while senior Rashad Wright (Agawam, Mass.) finished with a game high nine rebounds to go with six points.

Seniors Anthony Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.) along with Martin, Fazio and Wright were playing their final games for Keene State. "I think we gave it a good effort in the first half and a couple of things didn't go our way," said Mariano.  "Late in the seocnd half, we couldn't stop their run.  It was a little too much than we could handle.  They took advantage of our mistakes."

"I think we gave it our all," said Fazio.  "It was a tough loss. They obviously defended well. They put alot of pressure on our offense.  We turnover the ball over alot, but we went out giving it our best effort." 

"We came out and played hard. That's all you can really ask from us," said Wright.  "We made some mistakes. We turned the ball over too much."  

Senior Tahrike Carter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior Nyheem Sanders (Pawtucket, R.I.) each had 13 points and sophomore Chris Burton (New Rochelle, N.Y.) scored 12 points to lead the Anchormen.

RIC forced the Owls into 28 turnovers. "You can't turn the ball over like that, especially in the first half and be in a position to do anything productive," said KSC Coach Rob Colbert.  " When you consider where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are now - I'm proud of our guys.  We emptied the tank today. We didn't have enough left to do what we needed to do. Hat's off to RIC.  They had a tremendous defensive effort. They are who we want to be."

Ahead 19-12 on a lay-up by Wright, KSC lost its lead when the Anchormen went on 10-0 run that put them on top 22-19 at the 7:38 mark.

Burton scored four straight points to put RIC up 31-26 with 2:09 to go in the half. Carter, named the tournament's most outstanding player, knocked down a three-pointer in the closing seconds to give RIC a 36-30 halftime lead.

Despite committing 17 first half turnovers, the Owls, who went the final 7:13 without a field goal, were able to stay in the game by connecting on 15 of its 16 (94%) free throws attempts. 

Owls couldn't make a dent into RIC's lead.  Carter drained a three-pointer from the right of the circle to make it a 45-35 game at the 12:12 mark of the second half.  

Struggling to get the ball inside, KSC had to settle for jump shots.  Fouled while taking a three-pointer, Martin hit two of three from the line, cutting the lead to 48-43 with 6:12 to go.

A jump shot by Burton gave RIC a 55-47 lead with 2:05 to play.

After Fazio hit a couple from the line, the Owls used their press to get the ball back.  But they turned the ball right back over to the Anchormen. Junior Tom DiCentis (North Kingstown, R.I.) made one free throw to make it 56-49.

Martin wasn't ready to end his career just yet.  Back-to-back off-balanced jumpers from the right side by the senior made it 56-53 with 31 seconds to play.

Trying to get the ball back in the inbounds, KSC fouled Sanders. He made both his free throws to give RIC a 58-53 to seal the win.

The Owls were making their seventh appearance in the finals. They won their lone title in 2004. Rhode Island College was making its LEC record seventh straight trip to the championship. They also won titles from 2007-2011. 

Keene State was looking to become the second third seeded team to win the championship. Western Conn. won the crown as a third seed in 1999.  The Colonials (1996) and Eastern Conn. (2000) also claimed the title as fourth seeds. 

It was the fourth meeting between the two teams in the LEC tournament.  The Anchormen has won the three previous games, posting victories in semifinals in 2008 (68-63) and 2011 (96-92, 2-OT) and the finals in 2007 (87-75).