Box Score

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The journey of the 2021 men's basketball season was late in starting, strange, unusual, and uncertain throughout, and as it turns out did not have nearly the ending anybody on Keene State was looking for as the Owls were dealt a lopsided 108-68 defeat by the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in the Little East Conference tournament championship game Thursday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.

Records

• Keene State:  6-3
• UMass-Dartmouth:  8-2

How It Happened
It was not a pretty picture for the Owls, as not only did UMass-Dartmouth amass a season-best 58 percent (45-of-78) shooting performance (their previous high was 49 percent) and make 15-of-32 (47 percent) from long range, KSC shot a season-worst 33 percent (24-for-72) from the floor and connected on just 5-of-27 (19 percent) shots from three-point range.  Given those numbers, it would figure to be a massive uphill climb for Keene State and was one they could not make, as they never led for the second straight game against UMD.  The Corsairs, who won their 12th Little East title and first since 2009, raced out to an 8-2 lead barely over two minutes in after Adam Seablom scored five straight points and then were up 13-4 after freshman Isaac Percy did the same thing not even a minute later.  Percy picked up where he left off the last time against KSC, when he scored a season-high 18 points and made four threes in an 86-75 win in Keene.  This time he finished with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and five rebounds.  Trailing 15-6, Keene State got back within three on DeVon Beasley's triple at the 14:54 mark and were still down that many (19-16) after two free throws by Nate Siow with 12:22 left in the opening half, but after that, it went south – significantly and in a hurry.  UMass-Dartmouth outscored the Owls 19-3 over the next 6:46 to lead 38-19 and KSC was never able to get back in the game, eventually trailing 52-27 at halftime.  UMass-Dartmouth scored eight of the first 10 in the second half and it never got better after that for the visitors, as following a 61 percent shooting effort in the first half, the Corsairs shot 55 percent in the second and made 8-of-16 from long range.  Keene State was outscored 45-15 from three in the game.  After connecting on a high watermark of 38 percent from there (9-for-24) in a 68-67 victory at the Tripp Athletic Center on February 13 where KSC led for the vast majority of the contest, the Owls could not find their long-range shot in the final five games, shooting just 25 percent (32-for-130).  They shot 27 percent from deep on the season.  KSC started the year 4-0 but lost three of five to close the season, two to UMD.  The Owls had won three league championships since 2015, including an 86-81 triumph over UMass-Dartmouth in Willimantic, Conn. in 2016, and were bidding for their fifth overall, but were soundly denied as the Corsairs improved to 12-4 all-time in league title games.  After being the first power to emerge from the conference in 1987, winning nine of the initial 12 championships, UMass-Dartmouth had lost in their last two trips, including 88-75 at Western Connecticut State University last year when the Colonials picked apart UMD's defense.  That was never in danger of happening on this night.
 
Every player that UMass-Dartmouth put in the game scored, with four reaching double-figures.  Jarron Santos made 7-of-9 shots, 5-of-6 from three point range, while putting in 19 of the Corsairs' 60 bench points.  Seablom added 14 points and Marcus Azor finished with 13 points (6-8 FG) and seven assists.  The Corsairs finished with 23 assists in the game and finished with a season-low six turnovers.  They were 5-0 this season when finishing with 10 or fewer miscues.  In their only two losses, they combined for 40.
 
Beasley had 13 points and three assists to lead Keene State.  Justin Williams made all three of his shots, including a three, and all three free throws to score 10 points.  Jeff Hunter also had 10, but the Owls allowed the highest shooting percentage against them since November 24, 2018 when No. 5 MIT shot 62 percent in a 96-76 win.
 
Inside the Paint

• The two teams were meeting in the conference tournament final for the fourth time and for the 10th time overall in the postseason.  They have now split the meetings (5-5).  KSC had won five of the last six.
• The loss wraps up the Owl careers of Beasley, Williams, and James Anozie.  Anozie figures to finish his four years at KSC with 1,157 career points, good for 25th on the college's all-time men's basketball scoring list.  His 59 percent shooting would be tops on that career list, edging out Dave Terry '71, who shot 58 percent overall.

Up Next

• Keene State returns to the court in November for what everyone hopes will be a normal 2021-2022 season.  The Owls have a foundation from which they can build as they bring back five of their top six scorers, including Hunter, who averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds in the nine games this season.
• The only listed seniors on UMass-Dartmouth's roster are Santos and Jake Ashworth as they look toward November also.  The league champion usually gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, but it was cancelled on February 3 due to low participation numbers.  The nine-team Little East had four participants in the conference tournament this season.