Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University defeated No. 6 seed Keene State College for the third time this year and returned to the Little East Conference tournament semifinals after a two-year absence following a 67-53 first-round triumph Tuesday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
With its sixth straight win over Keene (13-13), Eastern (18-8) advances to Friday's semifinals at Rhode Island College against the winner of Tuesday's late game between No. 2 University of Southern Maine and No. 7 Massachusetts Boston.
After Keene took its only lead of the game, 16-15 with eight minutes left in the first half, Eastern ended the half on a 19-2 run to move out to a 16-point, 34-18 lead at halftime. Keene got as close as seven in the second half before freshman guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington, Conn.) sank one of her five three-point field goals off an assistant from junior Taylor McBride (Willimantic, Conn.), and sophomore forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, Mass.)converted two free throws to push the lead back to 12, 56-44, with 5:43 left.
Nappi, who led Eastern with 46 points against Keene State in the regular-season series, topped all players with 23 points, with Ritrosky scoring 14 points and equaling her career high with 19 rebounds -- her sixth game of at least 14 rebounds. She ranks third in the LEC with a rebounding average of 10.5. Sophomore post Erin Brooks (Billerica, Mass.) scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Second on the team this year in three-point field goals, freshman guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield, Conn.) struggled offensively – missing all seven of her three-pointers and eight of ten shots overall – but pulled down a career-high ten rebounds to help the Warriors nearly double Keen's rebounding total.
In the decisive 19-2 run, Nappi dropped in two three-point field goals – the second coming at the top of the circle with the shot clock nearing zerio – and Ritrosky completed a conventional three-point play with a driving bucket down the left side of the lane and free throw.
Keene State junior forward Courtney Roberts (Sutton, Mass.) led the Owls with 13 points but was the only Keene player in double figures.
Keene scored 17 points on Eastern's 21 turnovers (the Warriors managing only two points on ten Keene turnovers), but shot only 32.3 percent from the floor, was outrebounded 55-27 and was outscored by nine from the foul line.
Eastern faces the winner of a Tuesday first-round game between No. 2 seed University of Southern Maine and No. 7 Massachusetts Boston in the tournament semifinals at No. 1 Rhode Island College.
