LAS VEGAS - Emmanuel College began the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to turn a close game into a double-digit advantage and that was enough to beat the Keene State College women's basketball team 56-49 on Monday afternoon at the D3Hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas' South Point Hotel and Casino.

Records

• Keene State:  2-9
• Emmanuel:  7-4

How It Happened

The Owls led after one quarter for the second straight day, but were then outscored in each of the next three periods and dropped their second straight.  Lilly Shlimon scored a team-high 10 points and added four rebounds, but was the only KSC player in double-figures.  Kenzie Bennett and Tamra Gonyea each scored seven, with Bennett grabbing six rebounds.  Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda had 21 points and 19 rebounds for the Saints, but was held to 8-of-21 shooting.  Riley Lahiff added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench.  Keene State got 21 points off their bench and 28 from starters.

KSC got off to a good start, making 6-of-13 shots, including 2-of-3 from long range, while holding Emmanuel to just 5-for-18 in the opening quarter.  After Kayla Weaver's three-point play put the Saints up 7-6, the Owls scored the next five, getting a three from Gonyea and a layup from Samantha Adamson to lead 11-7 with 1:11 left in the first.  Hien Thach buried a triple of her own with 23 seconds to go to put Keene State up five before Emmanuel scored to make it 14-11 after one.  The Owls maintained their advantage for most of the second quarter, including after Arianna Hebert's layup made it 22-19 at the four minute mark, but the Saints scored the next six and took a 25-22 lead with just over a minute to go before Adamson's layup made it a one-point game at halftime.

The third quarter was more of the same, with the teams exchanging leads.  EC was up 29-26 just over a minute in after Lahiff made a jumper, but the Owls answered, going on a 9-3 run to establish their own three-point edge (35-32) following Shlimon's layup at the 3:28 mark.  Her free throw a minute later kept KSC out in front 36-35, but Emmanuel scored eight of the final 12 points in the frame and were up 43-40 entering the final ten minutes.  To begin the fourth, the Owls went well over five minutes without scoring a point and watched the Saints build a 51-40 lead in that time frame mostly behind Ramirez-Tejeda and Loredana D'Agostino, who each scored five in the quarter.  Over the final 10 minutes, the Owls shot just 27% (4-15) and went 0-for-4 from three.  Trailing by 11 with 5:27 to go, the Owls never got closer than nine until two baskets in the final 15 seconds set the final score.

Inside the Paint

• Emmanuel shot 39% (22-of-57) in the contest and KSC 35% (22-of-63).  Both teams were ice cold from three, with the Saints not making any of their eight tries and the Owls 3-of-16.  EC outscored Keene State 12-2 from the foul line, with the Owls getting there just four times in the game.
• The Saints outrebounded KSC 43-27, including 15-10 on the offensive end.
• The two teams were meeting for the first time since a New England ECAC quarterfinal game in 2006.
• It was Emmanuel's third game against an LEC foe this season.  The Saints fell at UMass-Boston 84-79 on November 23 and to Rhode Island College 62-55 on December 9.

Up Next

• Keene State returns to New England and Spaulding Gymnasium, where they will open 2020 against the University of Southern Maine on Saturday, January 4 for a Little East game that starts at 1:00 pm.
• Emmanuel, who went 2-0 in Vegas after also beating the Milwaukee School of Engineering (76-34) yesterday, visits Salem State University on Wednesday, January 8 at 6:00 pm.