WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Eastern Connecticut State University made a season-high nine threes and shot over 10 percentage points higher than their season average from long range as they ran out to a 21-9 lead after one quarter and then pulled away again after leading by eight at halftime in a 63-47 victory over the Keene State College women's basketball team in Little East Conference action Tuesday night at Geissler Gymnasium.

Records

• Keene State:  3-9, 1-5 LEC
• Eastern Connecticut:  11-4, 5-1 LEC

How It Happened
Just two games removed from being limited to 37 points in a loss at Rhode Island College, the Warriors had 39 points by halftime on this night thanks to 7-for-14 shooting from three-point range and a 15-for-29 effort overall from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, and that along with a 7-0 run to start the second half was ultimately enough for ECSU to win comfortably in what was just their fourth home game of the season two months in.  For Keene State, who had been struggling offensively, it was a strong first half that saw them shoot 6-of-10 (60 percent) from three-point range and 9-of-13 overall in the second quarter.  However, the Owls were only able to chip four points off their 12-point deficit after one despite the hot shooting in the second 10 minutes, and then made just five of 28 shots after halftime as they tumbled to a 16-point defeat.

Keene State never led in the game and trailed 9-3 barely over three minutes in before seeing their deficit grow to double-digits for the first time (16-6) at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter.  Anna Barry scored inside to culminate a 9-0 Warrior run that made it 18-6 less than two minutes later, and ECSU carried a 21-9 advantage – tying their largest after an opening quarter this season – into the second.  The Owls had gotten within 9-6 on a Kenzie Durnford triple 3:18 into the game, but then scored just three more points over the quarter's final 6:41 while being outscored 12-3.

KSC's hole widened to 14 points (28-14) a little over three minutes into the second on Taylor Salato's layup and then to 15 on a free throw from Anna Barry at the 6:24 mark, but the Owls did have a response from there, as Jackie Alibrandi's three on the next possession stopped the bleeding and a three-point play from Avery Stewart with 4:42 left until the break made it 31-22.  A layup from Samantha Lee and triple for Aryanna Murray late in the half accounted for five straight Keene State points to make it a seven-point (36-29) game at the 1:30 mark, but Mariah Dunn responded with another Eastern triple as the Owls still could not find sustained momentum.  Rylee Burgess' nice move in the post with 23 seconds left helped bring KSC within 39-31 at halftime as the visitors put up a 22-point quarter, but the deficit only shrunk by four because ECSU still shot 47 percent and equaled the Owls with three treys in the quarter.

Down 39-31 at halftime despite outshooting Eastern 54 percent to 52 percent, an ice cold third quarter (and in the end second half) ultimately did in Keene State on the night, as the home team scored the third quarter's first seven points for a 15-point lead just 2:04 into the half.  Valerie Luizzi snapped the run by connecting from distance – the Owls' seventh of the night on 11 tries – but KSC never made another three after that, missing all nine attempts.  Her triple had made it 46-34, but the Owls allowed an 8-0 run over the next three minutes (extending the overall surge to 15-2) to fall behind 55-35, and that mountain was far too high to climb as KSC never threatened after that.  Eastern outscored the visitors by eight (16-8) in what was an important third quarter to double their halftime lead, going in front 55-39 through three.  The Owls finally cooled them off in the fourth as they scored only eight points and made 2-of-10 from the floor (20 percent) while missing all three triple tries, but Keene State missed all five long-range attempts and made just 2-of-14 shots themselves from the field, denying them any chance of making a dent in the deficit.

Murray (3-8 FG, 2-3 3-PT) and Elizabeth Gonyea (3-7 FG, 2-5 3-PT) were KSC's leading scorers with eight points.  Durnford (3-6 FG, 1-1 3-PT) finished with seven points and seven rebounds, but the Owls were held under 50 points for the sixth time and dropped to 0-6 on the road.

Julie Keckler led Eastern Connecticut with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting, 4-of-11 from long distance.  Dunn added an efficient 17 points (8-11 FG, 1-2 3-PT) and three rebounds while Jenna Serrantino had 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3-PT).  Barry shot 3-of-9 for nine points, but grabbed 12 rebounds.

Inside the Paint

• After combining for 70 points in the first half, the teams scored 40 in the second half.  Keckler and Dunn totaled 26 of the Warriors' 39 points in the opening 20 minutes (67 percent).
• Eastern finished with a 44 percent (24-for-54) shooting clip from the floor and KSC 34 percent (17-for-50).
• The Owls have lost nine straight in the series since beating Eastern Connecticut in the 2017 Little East championship on the road.

Up Next

• KSC travels to the University of Massachusetts-Boston (8-7, 1-4 LEC) on Saturday, January 14 at 1:00 p.m.  The teams split the season series a year ago, each winning on the road.  UMB hosts the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Wednesday night.
• The Warriors go to the University of Southern Maine (4-8, 2-3 LEC) on Thursday, January 12 for a 5:00 p.m. start, a team they have defeated six straight times.