WORCESTER, Mass. – The Keene State College women's basketball team was outscored 14-4 over the final 5:28 of the third quarter to fall into a double-digit hole and the cold-shooting Owls ultimately never recovered in a 58-44 non-conference loss to Worcester State University Tuesday night at Brissette Court.  KSC heads into the Thanksgiving break at 1-3.

Records

• Keene State:  1-3
• Worcester State:  3-3

How It Happened
The shooting percentages of both teams hovered in the 20's over the game's opening 20 minutes, but it was the Lancers who ultimately found enough offense in the end, shooting 38 percent (13-for-34) in the second half to turn what was a 23-20 halftime edge into a 14-point victory.  Keene State took a 25-24 lead at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter on a three from Aryanna Murray and tied the game at 28 a little over two minutes later when Valerie Luizzi connected from distance, but tumbled into a double-digit deficit (42-32) by the end of the period after Worcester State closed on a 10-2 burst in the final 3:04 after Murray had brought the Owls within 32-30 at the 3:20 mark.  Five different Lancers scored in what proved to be the separating run.  Grace Furze connected on a jumper in the first minute of the fourth quarter, and two free throws from Samantha Lee with 8:32 to go had KSC within 43-36, but in the end they could not overcome a 22 percent shooting performance from the field. The Owls finished 7-for-24 (29 percent) from three, but only 8-for-43 (19 percent) from two-point land.  Worcester State had allowed at least 65 points in each of their last two outings, including 71 and 84 in their last two defeats, but held the Owls to the lowest field goal percentage they have allowed this season to pick up their first home win of the season.  They also rebounded to pick up a win after seeing a ten-point fourth quarter lead (71-61) disappear against Wesleyan University in their last action, an 84-76 loss.

Keene State's final push came in the form of a pair of threes from Luizzi and Kenzie Durnford on consecutive trips down the floor midway through the fourth that made it 47-42 with 4:48 left, but they scored two points over the remainder of the game after that.  The Owls forced a missed jumper from Sarah Blomgren and a turnover by Emma Found on their next two defensive possessions still down by the same score, but could not score, and a three-point play by Katie Hurynowicz gave the Lancers a 50-42 advantage at the 3:38 mark.  A missed jumper and two miscues came next for KSC, and those were followed by a Blomgren jumper with 1:55 left that made it 52-42, more or less dashing the Owls' hopes.  Two Elizabeth Gonyea free throws 19 seconds later chipped the deficit to eight, but two WSU free throws from Erin Gallella had the home team's lead at 10 again and Keene State missed their final four shots.

Murray led KSC with 12 points, but those came on a tough shooting night and she was the only Owl in double-figures.  The Nashua native added nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals.  Gonyea had nine points and Luizzi eight points (2-6 3-PT), three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Worcester State was paced by 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting by Blomgren.  Gallella shot 3-of-11 from floor and missed all six threes she took, but went 6-for-7 at the foul line and scored 12 points while grabbing six boards and handing out six assists.  She also had four steals.

Keene State has dropped four straight road games dating back to last season, being held to 45 points or fewer in three of them.  They have been within four, two, and five in the final quarter of their three road ventures this season, but have shot 27 percent in the fourth quarter on the road this season, denying them a chance to pick up wins.  Tonight, they tumbled into an 8-3 first quarter deficit in the opening four minutes but then held Worcester scoreless for five minutes while scoring seven straight points - five from Gonyea - to take their initial lead.  It was 10-10 after one.  KSC took several leads in the second quarter, including 18-16 on a triple by Lilly Krysinski at the 2:02 mark, but was outscored 7-2 over the rest of the half, and ultimately did not have enough offense after the break to maintain a consistent push.

Inside the Paint

• Luizzi has made two threes in three of four games and has added eight assists and nine steals in the first four contests of her career.  She has not committed a turnover in her last three games.
• Murray is 8-of-22 (36 percent) from long-range, including 6-for-13 in the last two games.
• The Owls have been limited to under 45 points in their last two road losses.
• A series KSC once led 9-1 has gone the other way, with Worcester State winning five consecutive head-to-head matchups.  The Lancers trailed by 16 points in the third quarter last year in Keene before eventually winning in overtime, and in the last meeting at Brissette Court scored the final 19 points after KSC led 59-47 with 6:54 left on November 23, 2019.  They did not need a comeback tonight, as the Owls' only second half lead came at 25-24.

Up Next

• After not playing since last Tuesday, Keene State will again not play for a week, as they are idle until hosting Rivier University (3-3) on November 29 at 5:00 p.m.  The Raiders will have not played since the 20th, a 95-65 win over Fitchburg State University that snapped a three-game losing streak that included a 73-65 loss to Worcester State in Middletown, Conn.  The Raiders also lost to Little East Conference opponent Plymouth State University 73-64 on the road on November 15.
• Worcester State, who made the MASCAC semifinals a year ago before falling to Framingham State University 81-63, plays the second of a four-game homestand on Monday, November 28 against Wellesley College (4-3) on Monday (November 20).  Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.