GORHAM, Maine – The No. 5 seed Keene State College women's basketball team held yet another opponent below 40 percent shooting overall from the field, but fourth-seeded University of Southern Maine made them when needed as they ousted the Owls – beating them for the third time this season – 55-45 in a Little East Conference tournament quarterfinal game Tuesday night at Hill Gymnasium.

Records

• Keene State:  10-14
• Southern Maine:  9-15

How It Happened
The Owls rebounded from 8-3 and 11-6 first quarter deficits to lead by one after one, but then shot 10-for-40 from the field in the final 30 minutes (30.8 percent overall) as the Huskies pulled away to a double-digit victory for the first time since February 9.  USM won their season opener by 14 over the University of New England, then lost six consecutive games, and has been under .500 ever since – entering tonight 4-5 at home – but nonetheless now finds themselves in the Little East Conference tournament semifinals on Thursday night.  For KSC, it was a struggle to find much offense, as they were held below 36 percent shooting overall for the sixth consecutive game.  Hailey Derosia had a strong 15-point outing on 6-of-12 shooting, which included a 5-of-7 effort in an opening half where she scored 11, but the Owls as a team made just 2-of-11 shots in the second quarter, both by her, and then managed only three baskets in the third.  Southern Maine made just two field goals in the second quarter themselves, as Keene State's strong defense kept them within 22-20 at the break, but gained separation with a 19-8 third quarter that saw them shoot 57 percent and make all three tries from long-range (5-14 in game). The Huskies came out of the locker room with a 9-4 push that took 4:43 of game time to take at the time a game-high seven point lead (31-24) midway through the third, and KSC was never closer than five after that.  In fact, Southern Maine led by double-figures for most of the rest of the contest.  Ahead 41-28 through three, the No. 3 seed hosts, tallied six of the opening seven points of the fourth quarter in less than two minutes to remove most all of the doubt from the outcome.  A triple from Brianna Metellus and a layup from Rylee Burgess a little less than four minutes into the final quarter sliced KSC's deficit to 11 (47-36), but Michelle Rowe made two free throws with 5:58 left to squash any building momentum for the Owls.  Two layups by Burgess in the ensuing minutes were part of a small 5-0 push to made it an eight-point game with 2:04 left, and the Owls actually had three shots to draw even closer, but missed each one and USM put the game away by going 4-for-4 at the line and getting a Victoria Harris layup.

Burgess finished with 12 points, nine of which came in the second half, on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and eight rebounds.  The sophomore forward shot 49 percent from the floor on the season, 19-of-34 in the last six games, and grabbed 5.2 rebounds per contest.  However, tonight, she was the only other Owl beside Derosia in double-figures as KSC was held to 45 points or less against USM for the second time this season.  Overall, the Owls shot below 40 percent in 15 of 24 games this season, shooting 36 percent from the field overall while putting up 55.8 points per game.

Jackie Luckhardt was the lone Husky to score in double-figures, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting.  She added six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.  USM got 20 points from their reserves, outscoring the Owls by 13 in that category in a 10-point game.

Inside the Paint

• Derosia finished the season averaging 11 points per game on 43 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds per contest, 68 assists, and 57 steals.  The junior from Brattleboro, Vt. has averaged 11.2 points per game over the last 32 games (two seasons) and has 590 career points after three years.
• Since beating the Huskies six times in seven games spanning three seasons, the Owls are 2-8 against USM, scoring less than 50 points eight times.  They are 1-5 in their last six at Hill Gymnasium and have never won there in the postseason (eight games).

Up Next

• Keene State's season is over.  They graduate seniors Jenny Freedman and Brianna Metellus from this year's roster, but expect to return leading scorers Derosia, Jackie Alibrandi, and Aryanna Murray as they aim for their first winning season since the 2016-2017 Little East tournament championship team, which won a three-bid league.
• Southern Maine visits top-seeded Rhode Island College (21-5, 15-1 LEC) Thursday night, February 24, at 6:00 p.m.  The Anchorwomen swept USM this season, winning by 20 in Providence, and have taken the last six meetings overall.