DURHAM, N.H. – Sophomore guard Marco Foster made 8-of-10 from three point range, including all six of his tries in the second half, and the University of New Hampshire overall made 19-of-44 from deep as they pulled away to a 92-54 victory over the Keene State College men's basketball team Monday night at Lundholm Gymnasium. It was an exhibition contest and the last of five games in nine days for KSC, while Division I UNH improved to 5-4 on the season, 4-0 at home.
Behind a strong 15-point showing from freshman guard
Octavio Brito, who made 6-of-10 shots from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range, the Owls hung around for the opening 23 minutes and were within 47-37 with 16:51 to go. However, New Hampshire ran off 10 points in a row in just 2:24 to force a KSC timeout and the Wildcats continued to run away from there, getting five threes in the final 9:28 from Foster, who had connected on 6-of-14 (43 percent) on the season prior to tonight. He finished with 24 points and six rebounds in the game. Jayden Martinez, a 51 percent shooter from deep on 43 attempts himself and UNH's leading scorer, connected on 4-of-5 from behind the arc while finishing with 16 points (6-10 FG), five rebounds, and two steals, as the Wildcats set by far a new season-high with their 19 threes. The total surpassed the 12 they made in a 75-70 loss at Marquette University on November 12, and their 43 percent mark tonight trails just the 44 percent (12-for-27) they connected on against the Big East Conference's Golden Eagles. KSC made 8-of-22 from deep, a 36 percent clip, but were just 13-of-39 (33 percent) from inside the line and only got to the foul line four times.
Brito fouled out with 10:39 left, less than two minutes after he brought the Owls within 57-41. UNH answered with a 14-2 run to push the lead over 20 for the first time after a pair of free throws by
Max Bonney-Liles to open the second half had KSC within 42-33 less than 10 minutes earlier. Brito scored 13 of his points (5-7 FG, 3-4 3-PT) in the first half alone as the Owls trailed by 11 at the break but actually outshot the Wildcats 43 percent to 41 percent. UNH stayed in front thanks to a 25-15 rebounding edge in the opening 20 minutes, 11-3 on the offensive end which resulted in a 10-2 advantage in second chance points. The Wildcats won the glass 49-29 overall in the game, with Tayler Mattos grabbing 10, and had a 16-7 edge in offensive boards.
Jeff Hunter finished with nine points (4-8 FG), seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals for Keene State while Bonney-Liles added seven. The Owls had just 12 turnovers in the game, but were short-handed and connected on just 26 percent from the field after halftime, scoring only 23 points. KSC got off to a strong start, as Bonney-Liles and Brito drained triples in the opening minute for a 6-2 lead, and
Mason Jean Baptiste's jumper at the 15:45 mark made it 12-9. UNH scored seven straight to jump in front, but could not shake the Owls completely until the second half. They led 33-22 with 5:05 left in the first, but KSC scored five in a row to chop their deficit to six and were later within 36-29 after another bucket by Bonney-Liles at the 2:35 mark. Foster gave a preview of his second half barrage by canning two in the final 2:02 to stake his team to a 42-31 lead at the break.
The game for the Owls, which does not count toward their 8-2 overall record, was their fifth in the last nine days, fourth on the road. They pulverized the University of Southern Maine 101-53 on December 4 at home, and have since made trips to Emerson College (L 88-82), Plymouth State University (W 86-62), Rhode Island College (W 99-79), and the University of New Hampshire. KSC will resume league play on January 5 and be in first place in the conference when they do. New Hampshire begins America East Conference play at home against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on January 2. They were picked third (64 points, one first place vote) behind Stony Brook University (77 points, five FPV) and the University of Vermont (74 points, 4 FPV) in the league's preseason coaches' poll.
Up Next
- After a holiday break, Keene State is back in action again 682 miles from home when they take on Covenant College (Ga.) (6-2, 1-0 USA South) in the first round of the Cregger Invitational at Roanoke College (Va.) on Wednesday, December 29. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. The other tournament matchup will feature the host and nationally 10th-ranked Maroons (6-1, 1-1 ODAC) and Messiah College (4-6, 2-2 MAC Commonwealth).
- UNH travels to Virginia Commonwealth University (6-4) on Tuesday, December 21 for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
The Keene State College athletic department would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and enjoyable holiday season!
