KEENE, N.H.--Red hot shooting and four players in double-figures gave the Keene State College men's basketball team a 75-49 win over league leading Eastern Connecticut State on Wednesday at Spaulding Gym.

Records

• Keene State: 14-10, 7-6 LEC
• Eastern Connecticut State: 16-8, 10-3 LEC 

Playoff Permutations

• Keene State has all but locked up a home game for the LEC quarterfinal round next week.  The Owls could finish as high as the No. 3 seed with a win and a combination of losses.
• Despite the loss, the Warriors can still pick up the No. 1 seed with a win over UMass Boston on Saturday. 

Tale of the Tape

• Keene State shot 47% from the floor, 46% from three point range, and made 19-of-26 free throws.
• The Warriors, meanwhile, managed to hit on just 33% of their shots, including 1-for-18 from behind the arc.
• Nate Stitchell, Nate Howard, and Matt Ozzella each had 18 points, while Ty Nichols added 10.  Lucas Hammel had six points and seven assists.
• The Owls committed a mere eight turnovers, and held the Warriors' top two scorers to tough nights.  Tarchee Brown, who was averaging 18.4 points per game, finished with four points on 2-for-10 shooting.  Trachone Preston needed 5-for-16 shooting from the field to get to for points, while third leading scorer Hugh Lindo was plagued with foul trouble and finished with just two points. 

First Half Highlights

• Keene State rolled out to an early 9-4 lead as the Warriors started the game 1-for-6 from the field.  Nate Howard had eight points early on for the Owls.
• Kevin Leumene's basket got the Warriors to within 15-12, but that kickstarted a 14-5 burst from KSC punctuated by Howard's layup with 2:39 left in the first half.
• The Warriors got a tip-in at the buzzer from Leonel Hyatt and trailed 34-23 at halftime.

Second Half Highlights

• Keene State turned on the gas in the second half, as Stitchell and Nichols connected on threes in the early minutes for a 46-29 lead.
• Back-to-back baskets by David Canny pulled the Warriors within 64-43, but the Owls would not let them get closer, as Hammel, Stitchell, and Ozzella all were perfect from the line and Rodney Jean-Marie scored with 1:27 left for the final margin.

Up Next

• Keene State closes out the regular season at Rhode Island College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
• As mentioned, the Warriors face UMass Boston on Saturday, also at 3 p.m.