BOSTON, Mass.--Down eight with five minutes remaining, the Keene State College men's basketball team rallied for an 85-80 overtime win over UMass Boston on Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center.

Records

• Keene State: 14-5, 7-2 LEC
• UMass Boston: 10-9, 3-6 LEC

How It Happened

Ty Nichols led all players with 23 points, passing out seven assists with five rebounds and four steals in 42 minutes of action.  Dizel Wright had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jaquel Edwards had 14 points and seven boards and Lucas Hammel added 12 points.

Sam Freeman and Dan Powers both had double-doubles for the Beacons, with Freeman having 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Powers netting 19 points and 11 boards.  Ty Lee and Careem Kirksey both added 10 points.

Keene State found itself down 6-0 before the game was a minute old, as Freeman converted a traditional three point play on the game's opening possession, and Powers knocked down a three pointer.

The Beacons led through the majority of the first half, as layups from Kirksey and Lee gave UMass Boston a 16-12 advantage.  Jeff Lunn sank a pair of free throws to get the Owls within 19-18, and Nichols' steal and breakaway dunk tied the game at 22 with 6:39 left in the first half.

Wright gave the Owls their first lead of the game (24-23) with 5:26 to play, and Jimmy Layman's hoop with 2:07 left in the half sparked a 6-0 Owl run that gave them a 33-29 lead.  Lee sank a three, then on the next possession, fed Iser Barnes for a layup that gave the Beacons a 34-33 lead at halftime.

UMass Boston opened the second half on an 11-4 run, as Powers' layup gave the Beacons a 45-37 advantage.  Jaquel Edwards' three and another basket from Layman pulled the Owls within three (47-44) with 13:55 to go, but the Owls could not edge in front;  Matt Ozzella knocked down two free throws to make it 58-56 with 9:17 to go, but the Beacons scored six of the next eight points to lead 66-58 with 5:04 remaining.

Wright took over the game, scoring six straight points to get the Owls within 66-63 with 3:50 left, and after Careem Kirksey completed a three point play, Wright fed Ozzella for a hoop, then had a three point play of his own to trim the lead to one (69-68) with 1:53 left.

After both teams missed shots, Ozzella scored a twisting layup in traffic for the first Owl lead since the first half, and Freeman went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to force the extra period.

Keene State held the Beacons without a field goal for the first three minutes of overtime, going up 74-70 on Nichols' triple.  Powers' fadeaway jumper with 1:08 left got the Beacons within three, but the Beacons could not get the ball back on the next two Owl possessions, and KSC went 4-for-6 at the foul line to seal it.

In The Paint

• It was just the second time the Owls and Beacons had ever played in overtime; the other instance came in a 104-98 Keene State win on January 19, 2002.  It was also the first overtime game for the Owls this season.
• The win, combined with UMass Dartmouth's 70-67 loss to Plymouth State, means the Owls sit all alone in second place in the Little East Conference standings.
• Nichols reached the 20 point mark for the ninth time this season, sixth time in the last eight games, and third game in a row. He now leads the LEC in scoring at 19.0 points per game.

Up Next

• Keene State steps out of conference for the final time on Tuesday, January 31, when the Owls head to Middlebury College for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
• The Beacons will be in action on Wednesday night, welcoming Pine Manor for a 7 p.m. start.