WILLIMANTIC, Conn.--An 18-0 run to start the second half sparked the No. 3 seed Keene State College men's basketball team to a 66-59 win over No. 7 seed Rhode Island College in the semifinals of the Little East Conference tournament on Saturday night at Geissler Gym.

Records

• Keene State: 17-10
• Rhode Island College: 6-21

What's Next

• Keene State is back in the LEC Championship game for the second year in a row and eighth time overall.  KSC has reached the LEC title tilt in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, and 2015, winning titles in 2004 and 2015.
• The Owls will play No. 5 seed UMass Dartmouth in the title game at 2 p.m. on Sunday.  The Corsairs upset top seeded Eastern Connecticut State 60-55 in the day's first semifinal.  
• Keene State played UMass Dartmouth for the LEC Championship in 1998, an 81-79 win for the Corsairs.
• Keene State swept both matchups with the Corsairs, winning 103-84 on December 5 and 89-86 on January 23.  UMass Dartmouth boasts the nation's leading scorer in senior Jordan Rezendes, who averages 30.3 points per game and has scored 30+ points 12 different times, including a 58 point performance against Plymouth State on January 30.

Tale of the Tape

• Matt Ozzella led all players with 19 points, adding eight rebounds and two steals.  Nate Stitchell had 12 points, and Tre' Tipton, making just his second start of the year, added 10.  Lucas Hammel was close to a triple-double with eight points, six rebounds, and 10 assists.
• Keene State shot 56% in the second half, including 63% from long range.
• KSC outrebounded the Anchormen 35-26, and had 18 assists on 23 baskets.
• Jimmy Fritzson led RIC with 16 points.

First Half Highlights

• Fritzon and Chris Green each made two three pointers in the opening six minutes as the Anchormen lept out to an 18-6 lead.
• Malcom Smith made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 25-8 with 10:14 left in the first half.
• Keene State cut into the lead with a 7-0 run fueled by a three pointer from Jaquel Edwards, and back-to-back threes from Ozzella, the last one with 4:42 left in the half, cut the lead to 27-21, and Jimmy Layman's fast break dunk pulled the Owls within four.
• Stitchell's layup with 53 seconds left was the final scoring of the half, as the Owls trailed 31-27 at halftime.

Second Half Highlights

• Keene State blitzed the Anchormen in the first 6:28 of the second half, making eight of their first 11 shots of the half, including two threes each from Tipton and Stitchell.
• Rhode Island College finally got on the board in the second half on a layup from Terrance Tribble with 13:14 left.
• Ozzella made another three with 6:47 left for a 55-45 lead, but the Anchormen scored the next seven points, the last of which was a three by Green that cut the lead to 55-52.  Hammel responded with threes on the Owls' next two possessions, the second of which got a friendly roll before dropping through.
• Nate Howard beat the shot clock with exactly one minute left for a 63-56 lead, and the Owls made their free throws down the stretch to put the game away.