WILLIMANTIC, Conn.--The No. 2 seed Keene State College women's basketball team was upset by No. 6 seeded UMass Boston 51-39 in the semifinal round of the Little East Conference championship at Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday night.

Records

• Keene State: 22-5
• UMass Boston: 16-11

What's Next

• Keene State awaits the possibility of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.  The Owls were ranked at No. 7 in the final New England regional poll.  Selections will be announced on Monday, February 29, at 2:30 p.m. on ncaa.com.
• The Beacons, who lost to Keene State in both regular season meetings, will meet top seed and host Eastern Connecticut State University in the LEC Championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday. 

Tale of the Tape

• The Owls led 18-8 after the first quarter, but were outscored 43-21 over the final three quarters, and managed just 14 points in the second half.
• UMass Boston went to the free throw line 36 times, making 20, while Keene State made only 5-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe.
• The Beacons also held a 52-38 rebounding edge, including 25-10 on the offensive boards.
• Sandi Purcell was the only Keene State player in double figurers with 14 points.  Ryanne Williams had nine points and nine rebounds.
• Grace Geary led all players with 22 points, while the Beacons' Olivia Murphy added 11 points and 15 rebounds. 

First Half Highlights

• Keene State had an early 7-0 lead, as Williams scored on a layup and a free throw attempt, and Sarah Kober also scored down low.
• The Owls stretched the lead to 13-2 as Kober found Williams cutting to the basket with 2:56 left in the first quarter.
• Stephanie D'Annolfo knocked down a pair of free throws with two seconds left as KSC led 18-8 after one period of play.
• The Beacons chipped away in the second quarter, closing to within 18-13 on Katie Mathieu's layup with 7:31 left. 
• Kober's free throw with 5:45 to go gave Keene State a 21-13 lead, but the offense seemed to disappear on both sides.  Neither team would score for the next four minutes until the Beacons' Raven Kelsey had a layup with 1:47 on the clock.
• Purcell converted an old fashioned three point play as Keene State led 25-17 at halftime.

Second Half Highlights

• The Owls struggled to get anything going in the third quarter, missing their first six shots and committing five turnovers in the first 5:38 of the frame.
• UMass Boston, meanwhile, scored the first 11 points in that same span to lead 28-25.  Purcell's jumper with 3:45 left finally got the Owls on the board, but the Beacons finished the quarter with a free throw by Katrina Edwards to lead 34-31.
• The offensive struggles continued in the fourth quarter, with Keene State missing their first four shots.  The Beacons kept Keene State in the game by missing their first six, and the Owls trimmed the lead to one (34-33) on Kelsey Cognetta's layup at the 5:43 mark.
• UMass Boston responded with a 10-0 run, fueled by eight points from Geary, to lead 44-33 with 2:09 left.  Back-to-back three pointers from Purcell pulled Keene State back within five (44-39) with 1:28 to play, but the Beacons made five free throws down the stretch and Keene State would not score again.