GORHAM, Maine – The Keene State College women's basketball team shot 50 percent from the floor and from three-point range after halftime, eventually taking their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter, but the University of Southern Maine answered right after with 11 consecutive points and overall made 15-of-17 at the foul line in the final 10 minutes to post a 63-57 LEC victory Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium.

Records

• Keene State:  4-9, 1-5 LEC
• Southern Maine:  4-8, 3-2 LEC

How It Happened
Looking to get back on track as February approaches, the Owls overcame a rough start that saw them shoot 19 percent in the first half with a strong offensive effort in the final 20 minutes, but could not close the deal as USM beat Keene State for the second time this season and seventh time in the past nine tries.  The Owls flipped around a 30-18 deficit with an impressive 23-10 burst over nearly 10 second half minutes, taking their first lead of the game (41-40) on Samantha Lee's layup eight seconds into the final quarter.  KSC seemingly had all the momentum, making 8-of-12 shots (67 percent) during the run including 4-of-7 from three-point range.  First-year transfer student Elizabeth Gonyea had two of the triples, and six other Owls scored during the burst.  Keene State held Southern Maine to 4-of-11 shooting and forced seven miscues.  However, just that quickly, the momentum evaporated, as the Owls then went 4:12 with no points and tumbled back into a double-digit deficit (51-41) as Southern Maine scored 11 consecutive points – five from Victoria Harris and four from Michelle Rowe – while KSC missed five consecutive shots.  Trailing 55-45 with 4:02 to go, the Owls still had their chances.  A triple by Brianna Metellus, who made 4-of-6 on the day and scored a team-best 12 points, and a three-point play from Jenny Freedman made it a four-point game with 1:42 left, and a one-of-two showing at the line for Freedman after KSC forced another turnover had the Owls within one possession (55-52) with still 1:05 to go.  Southern Maine's mightily struggling offense missed a three and then turned the ball over following an offensive rebound, giving Keene State a chance to tie, but the Owls returned the favor in a key spot with time dwindling.  KSC sent Jackie Luckhardt to the line, needing to foul with 23 seconds left, and she made 1-of-2 to push the lead to 56-52.  The Huskies got the offensive rebound off the miss, a big blow for the Owls' hopes.  Katie Bagley kept KSC alive by making only one of her two for a 57-52 lead, and USM gave Keene State a gift seconds later by fouling Kenzie Durnford who then had a chance to make it a one-possession contest again, but she too made just one at the charity stripe, and the Owls were never within true striking distance after that.  Remarkably, Southern Maine's last field goal came with 6:24 left, a layup by Harris that made it 49-41.  They had only four field goals and shot 36 percent in the fourth quarter, with 15 of their 23 points coming at the foul line where they shot 88 percent (15-17) in crunch time and 24-for-27 (89 percent) in the game.  Keene State was minus-11 in foul shots – a big factor in a six-point game – and free throws overall were costly for the Owls, who made only 14-of-25 (56 percent) in the game.  In an otherwise impressive shooting second half where they put 39 points on the board, they made just 9-of-17 (53 percent) at the foul line, which short-circuited the comeback bid.

Early on, it seemed like Keene State might have been in trouble quickly, as they could not find their offense in the opening 20 minutes, committing more turnovers than they made field goals.  After Metellus' trey two and a half minutes in tied the game at five, the Owls did not score for nearly four minutes while USM reeled off seven in a row for a 12-5 lead, an edge they would not relinquish until the fourth quarter.  KSC managed to hang around for the most part, as the first of Gonyea's three triples made it 14-10 with 2:27 left in the first, but the Owls were held to eight points over the final 12:27 of the half.  Durnford's triple with 3:52 to go until the break and Aryanna Murray's bucket on the next trip down the floor kept Keene State's deficit at four despite the offensive struggles, but Southern Maine ended the half by scoring the final six points in 3:06 for their first double-digit lead.  The Owls' offensive uprising washed away the idea that the deficit was insurmountable, but a pair of KSC rallies came up short in the end as they lost their fourth straight.  Keene State has been within three or better in the fourth quarter of six of their nine losses this season, but is 0-6 in games decided by 10 points or less.

Gonyea finished with 11 points (3-6 3-PT, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, and an assist.  Freedman also had 11 points (9-13 FT) to go along with four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

Harris paced Southern Maine with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds, and two steals.

Inside the Paint

• Keene State brutally outshot USM from three-point range, outscoring the Huskies 27-3 in that category as KSC made 9-of-22 and USM only 1-of-11.  However, the Owls managed just eight points in the paint in the game and were minus-18 in that category.
• Gonyea is 7-for-13 (54 percent) from deep in her last two games and has 25 points.  Metellus is 7-for-16 on threes in her last three contests, scoring in double-figures twice.
• The Huskies controlled the glass 40-28.  While being swept in the season series, KSC was minus-23 in the rebounding category against USM, who is overall outrebounded by nearly four per game on aggregate.

Up Next

• KSC comes home to host Eastern Connecticut State University (8-8, 5-2 LEC) on Monday, January 24 at 5:00 p.m.  The Owls have beaten the Warriors three times in Connecticut since 2014-2015 including in the 2017 Little East tournament title game, but have not won at home against them since February 9, 2010.  ECSU stifled Western Connecticut State University (55-39) and the University of Massachusetts-Boston (50-38) on the road this week after losing four straight previously.
• Southern Maine visits Plymouth State University (1-8, 0-4 LEC) on the same night at 5:00 p.m.