CASTLETON, Vt. – First-year transfer student
Elizabeth Gonyea scored 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting (4-of-7 from three), but the Keene State College women's basketball team fell behind by double-digits in the first quarter and Castleton University ran away with a 78-42 victory in a Little East Conference game Wednesday night at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
Records
- Keene State: 4-8, 1-4 LEC
- Castleton: 8-4, 2-2 LEC
How It Happened
The Spartans made 10-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range in an opening quarter that saw them jump out to a 26-13 lead, and that more or less told the tale of the game as the Owls never got the lead below double-figures after that. KSC shot 42 percent on their side of the court in the opening 10 minutes, but then did not score for the opening 7:33 of the second quarter while not recording another field goal until the 8:36 mark of the third. The Owls went more than 12 minutes without a basket from the floor after Gonyea's triple with 53 seconds left in the first had them within 22-13, overall being outscored 21-2 in the final 10:44 of the first half to be sent to a 43-15 halftime deficit. KSC turned the ball over 24 times in the game, 14 of which came in the first half. Castleton also limited the Owls to an 8-for-43 (19 percent) shooting performance over the game's first 30 minutes while shooting 49 percent themselves in that span. The Spartans' 47 percent (31-for-66) effort from the floor overall was easily a season high, with next closest mark a 34-for-78 (44 percent) effort against Northern Vermont University-Johnson on November 20. Entering tonight, they had shot 40 percent or better in a game this season three times in 11 games. After a pair of conference losses to Rhode Island College and the University of Southern Maine to start their league schedule, they have defeated KSC and Western Connecticut State University this month to even their league record. After a 3-2 start, the Owls have dropped six of seven while averaging 53.6 points per game. They have been limited to 45 points or fewer four times in that span.
Gonyea, who attended nearby Conant High School in Jaffrey and played for the Orioles who have won three of the past four NHIAA Division III state championships, was making her second appearance as an Owl after her first came this past Saturday against the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. In addition to her 14 points, she grabbed five rebounds.
Aryanna Murray (3-6 FG) and
Alexa Hurley (2-5 FG, 1-1 3-PT) finished with six points.
Castleton got a game-high 20 points off the bench from Elise Magro, who made 9-of-17 shots and added four rebounds and two assists. Lauren Pratt added 13 points, also in a reserve role as the Spartans' bench scored 35 points. Kelly Vuz finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Inside the Paint
- Keene State had swept Castleton in last year's abbreviated season, winning 46-44 in Keene and 65-54 in Vermont. Their 78 points allowed to the Spartans were easily the most in the history of the nine-game all-time series, 21 points higher than the next closest high watermark of 57 (in overtime) in January of 2019. The Owls have lost four of five at Glenbrook Gymnasium.
- KSC made 15-of-57 (26 percent) from the floor tonight, 7-of-26 (27 percent) from three, and 5-of-12 at the foul line (42 percent). They shot 45 percent (129-for-287) as a team over the season's first five games, but 34 percent (134-for-391) in the seven games since.
Up Next
- The Owls will look to get back on track against the University of Southern Maine (3-8, 2-2 LEC) on Saturday, January 22 at 1:00 p.m. USM won the first meeting 59-43 in Keene, but has played only one game – a 72-52 loss at league-leading Rhode Island College – since December 11.
- Castleton hosts those Anchorwomen (12-4, 7-0 LEC) on the same day at 3:00 p.m. The Spartans were actually the last team to defeat RIC in a regular season conference game (68-63 in overtime at home on February 1, 2020). Rhode Island College has won 19 straight LEC regular season games since.
