KEENE, N.H.--Matt Ozzella and Nate Howard each scored 17 points as the Keene State College men's basketball team picked up a 69-52 win over UMass Boston on Saturday at Spaulding Gym.

Records

• Keene State: 12-7, 5-4 LEC
• UMass Boston: 5-14, 1-8 LEC 

The Series

• Keene State leads 34-10.  The Owls ended a two game losing skid to the Beacons, including a 77-70 defeat on September 12. 

Tale of the Tape

• Howard had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.  Ozzella had eight boards to go with his 17 points, while Ty Nichols added 14.
• Quadry Allen led the Beacons with 16 points, and Maurice Magras had 15.
• The Owls, who never trailed, had an emphatic 50-32 lead in rebounding, and had assists on 17 of their 22 field goals.  Keene State also shot 75% (21-for-28) from the free throw line.

First Half Highlights

• The Owls roared out to a 15-5 lead in the first 8:34 of the game as Ozzella had a conventional three point play and a pair of three point shots.
• Allen made a three to get UMass Boston with 17-11 with 7:08 remaining, but the Owls ended the half on an 18-9 run, mostly from the foul line, shooting 8-for-9 in the final 6:51.
• UMass Boston, meanwhile struggled offensively, shooting 20.7% from the field in the first half (6-for-29) but got within 35-20 when Allen drained a three from the left wing ahead of the first half buzzer.

Second Half Highlights

• Both teams struggled offensively in the early going of the second half, as neither team made a field goal until UMass Boston's Dan Powers made a layup with nearly five minutes played.
• Keene State took a 50-29 lead on Ty Nichols' three with 9:15 to go, and Nate Stitchell setup Nate Howard for a powerful slam dunk with six minutes to play to give Keene State their largest lead of the game (58-32).
• Iser Barnes' layup with 17 seconds to go set the final margin.

Up Next

• Keene State hosts Middlebury College on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
• UMass Boston does not play again on February 6, when they host Rhode Island College at 3 p.m.