KEENE, N.H. – Despite a cold shooting performance, the Keene State College women's basketball team was within five points with five minutes to go in the third quarter.  However, the Owls scored only 12 points the rest of the way after that and tumbled to a 56-42 loss to Rhode Island College in Little East Conference action Saturday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium.

Records

• Keene State:  3-6, 1-2 LEC
• Rhode Island College:  7-2, 3-0 LEC

How It Happened
It ultimately proved to be too much Antonia Corsinetti and Izabelle Booth on the afternoon, with the pair of Anchorwomen combining to score 35 of their team's 56 points (63 percent of the scoring output) as they won for the tenth consecutive time in the series.  For KSC, it was ultimately a case of not being able to find enough offense against the league's preseason coaches poll favorite, who won their sixth straight since starting 1-2.  The Owls started just 1-for-11 from the field but only trailed 10-5 after one quarter.  They heated up in a big way in the second quarter, making 7-of-13 shots and were within one (23-22) in the final two minutes before halftime.  However, every time they threatened to take a lead, Corsinetti or Booth would respond with a key shot to keep RIC in front, combining to shoot 13-for-26 (50 percent) overall and 7-for-13 (54 percent) from long range on the afternoon.  Trailing 29-24 at halftime, KSC was limited to a 5-for-26 effort from the floor in the second half and made 2-of-11 from three in the final 20 minutes.  The Owls also went just 12-of-20 at the foul line, helping foil any bid at an upset.

Keene State held the Anchorwomen off the board for nearly four minutes to start the game and took a 4-0 lead on a triple by Elizabeth Gonyea at the 7:02 mark of the opening quarter, but then ultimately went seven minutes without a point as RIC reeled off ten in a row to take a 10-4 lead.  Aryanna Murray ended the drought by making one of three at the line after she was fouled shooting a three halfway between half court and the three-point arc in the final seconds of the quarter.

Grace Furze knocked down a three in the opening 30 seconds of the second to bring her team within 10-8, and the Owls used by far their most productive offensive quarter on the day to hang around.  Included in the period was a return from injury for KSC junior Jackie Alibrandi, who shot 37 percent from three and scored 10.7 points per game in seven contests last year before missing the rest of the campaign with an injury.  She subbed in for the first time with 3:17 remaining until halftime, and then had a big bucket and free throw after being fouled on the shot to bring the Owls within 23-22 less than a minute later.  However, every time it seemed KSC was picking up steam, RIC hit a key shot to quell the Owls' momentum.  After two free throws from Gonyea made it 16-13 at the 6:55 mark, Corsinetti made one of her five threes on the day on the next trip to put her team back up six.  After the Alibrandi old-fashioned three-point play made it a one-point game, Booth made a deep three on the ensuing possession to make it 26-22.  Murray answered by slicing to the hoop with a layup on KSC's trip, but just 12 seconds later Corsinetti made another trey for a 29-24 lead, which is the advantage Rhode Island College took into halftime after KSC missed a three at the buzzer.  The Owls got the ball back for the final possession after Alibrandi drew a charge on Booth, but could not turn that into a basket on offense.

The Anchorwomen – and Corsinetti and Booth in particular, who scored 19 of RIC's 27 second half points – slowly took control in the final 20 minutes.  They each canned a three in the opening 1:21 of the third to put RIC up double-figures for the first time at 35-24, easily the game's largest lead after the first half was played within a 10-point window where neither team led by more than six (RIC 6, KSC 4).  Keene State answered initially, as Murray connected on a jumper and was followed up on the next possession with a triple from Kenzie Durnford that made it 35-30 with 5:27 to go in the quarter.  However, Corsinetti answered again out of a media timeout with a three that put RIC up eight 20 seconds later, and the Anchorwomen carried a 44-35 lead to the fourth.  Two Samantha Lee free throws at the 4:12 mark had KSC down 38-32 and they had a chance to draw closer with the ball, but missed and then saw Angelina Nardolillo and Booth score on back-to-back possessions for a 42-32 lead two minutes later.  Murray made one of two at the line with 36 seconds left to make it a seven-point game (42-35), but Jeniyah Jones dropped in a jumper on RIC's final trip of the quarter and the Owls missed a pair of three-point attempts in the final seconds.

KSC scored only seven points in the final 10 minutes, including four over the opening 9:31 of the fourth quarter as RIC pulled away.  Corsinetti and Claire Greene made it a 48-35 game with a bucket each 1:26 in and the closest the Owls came after that was nine (48-39) with 5:42 left.  Jones immediately answered with a jumper, and that kicked off a run of eight consecutive points for the Anchorwomen, who took a game-high 56-39 lead with 1:44 to go before Alibrandi made a three in the final minute.

Murray finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists to pace KSC, but was held to 5-for-18 shooting and was the only Owl in double-figures.  Gonyea added seven points and five rebounds.  Alibrandi finished with six points for KSC, who was outrebounded 45-30.

Corsinetti, who made 5-of-7 from deep at Spaulding Gymnasium last season in a 61-53 RIC victory, led her team with 21 points, shooting 5-of-10 from three-point land this time around (and 8-for-16 overall).  She added five rebounds and three assists.  Booth finished with 14 points (5-10 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Inside the Paint

• RIC made 8-of-22 from deep and KSC 4-of-22, a 12-point differential in total.
• The Anchorwomen have won 10 straight head-to-head matchups, easily their longest run in the series.  KSC, who clings to a 28-27 all-time lead, has not beaten Rhode Island College since February 3, 2018 in Keene.  In the skid, the Owls have averaged 43.5 points per game against the Anchorwomen and been held below 50 points eight times.

Up Next

• KSC is idle until they travel to warm and sunny Florida for the Basketball Destinations Classic after Christmas.  The Owls will first take on John Carroll University (5-2) on Thursday, December 29 for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off in Naples at the Community School of Naples before matching up with Connecticut College the following morning at 11:00 a.m.
• Rhode Island College travels to the University of Massachusetts-Boston (6-5, 0-2 LEC) next Saturday, December 17 at 1:00 p.m. 

The Keene State College athletic department would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!