NEW LONDON, N.H.--Lucas Hammel scored a career high 18 points, passed out seven assists, and had four steals as the Keene State College men's basketball team stayed unbeaten with a 91-83 overtime win over Colby-Sawyer College on Thursday night.

Dizel Wright led KSC with 20 points, while Nate Howard had 14 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, and Nick Gagliolo added 11 points off the bench.

The 6-0 start is the best for Keene State since the 2005-06 season, when the Owls also started 6-0.  

A close contest in the beginning saw the scored tied twice before KSC went up 18-12 on a layup by Jeff Lunn with 12:47 left in the first half.  The Owls extended their advantage to 28-20 on Howard's layup with 4:43 to go, and led 36-29 at halftime when the Chargers' Zach Bean made one free throw with six seconds left in the half.

Wol Majong pulled CSC back within four as he was fouled on a three point attempt early in the second half and made all three free throws, but Hammel connected on a triple on KSC's next possesion to restore a seven point lead.  That lead bulged to 10 points at 49-39 on Nate Stitchell's jumper, and Gagliolo scored seven of KSC's next nine points for a 58-43 lead with 10:52 to go.  

With plenty of time remaining, Colby-Sawyer gradually chipped away, as Peter Donato's layup with 7:02 to play got the lead down to 60-51, but Tom Doyle's foul shot with 4:02 to play made it 68-56.

Colby-Sawyer outscored Keene State 17-5 over the rest of regulation, as layups from Mike Dias and Bean made it a 69-63 contest, and Cam Meservey's three got the Chargers to within 69-66.  Gagliolo's layin with 57 seconds left made the score 73-68, but Dias converted a three point play on the Chargers' next possesion, and after Howard missed at the other end, Taylor Grande forced overtime with three seconds to go.

The team's traded baskets over the first two possessions of OT, and the Owls took the lead for good as Hammel fed Howard for a layup and Dias was called for a foul.  Howard drained the free throw for an 80-77 advantage.

Colby-Sawyer briefly got within three at 86-83 on two free throws by Dias, but KSC responded with foul shots from Hammel and Matt Ozzella in the final seconds to salt away the win.

"We definitely got tested in terms of situational basketball, but we made enough plays to get out of it.  Credit to ColbySawyer, they wouldn't go away.  It was a good test," said head coach Rob Colbert.  "We haven't had a game like that this year, so to do that on the road is good for us.  We come out of here feeling good, but also really humble in what we have to work on."  

The Owls open conference play with a home matchup with UMass Boston at 3 p.m. on Saturday.  Colby-Sawyer will also begin league action by hosting Green Mountain College on Saturday, also at 3 p.m.