KEENE, N.H.—Five players scored in double-figures and the Owls shot 50.7% from the floor, as the No. 4 ranked Keene State College men's basketball team posted a 93-68 win over the University of Southern Maine at Spaulding Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Records
- No. 4 Keene State: 17-1, 9-0 LEC
- Southern Maine: 10-8, 4-5 LEC
Postgame Interview (Coach Cain)
Postgame Interview (Tahmeen Dupree)
Alphonse Michalski In-Game Interview
Nate Stitchell Halftime Interview
How It Happened
The afternoon augured well as Mason Jean Baptiste was fouled on a three point attempt on the Owls' opening possession, and he made two of three as the Owls never trailed.
Clay Kuhn nailed a three with 16:05 on the clock to get USM within 10-8, but Octavio Brito responded with a deep three of his own and the Owls rolled, going on a 16-5 run over the next five minutes to expand to a 26-12 lead on a pair of free throws by Tahmeen Dupree.
Nate Siow's offensive rebound and feed for Dupree gave the Owls a 39-19 lead, and the Owls took a 56-31 lead into halftime.
Spencer Aronson made a three on three consecutive possessions to balloon the lead to 38 (84-46) as the Owls were never seriously threatened in the second half.
Brito led KSC with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field; Jeff Hunter added his 13th double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Aronson (15 points), Jeric Cichon (13 points) and Dupree (10 points) all hit double-figures.
Cody Hawes led the Huskies with 12 points.
The Owls out rebounded USM 51-28, and held their opponents to 22% (5-for-22) from three point land.
Inside the Paint
- Keene State has won four in a row and six of seven over the Huskies, completing the sweep over USM for the second season in a row. Keene State's last four wins in the rivalry have come by an average margin of 25.5 points.
- Keene State is 9-0 in the LEC; only one team (Eastern Conn. State in 2013-14) has gone undefeated through the league season since Keene State joined the Little East Conference in 1997-98. No team has done it since Castleton joined the league in 2018-19, which expanded the league slate to 16 games.
- Milestone Watch: With 15 boards today, Hunter is just 10 boards away from sole possession of fifth place in KSC's all-time list. Nate Howard '16 is currently fifth with 832. Brito's 54 threes this season put him on the cusp of the top 15 single season mark; 15th place is currently held by KSC and LEC Hall of Famer Chris Coates '04, who made 63 threes in the 2000-01 season.
Up Next
- Keene State heads on the road for a pair of games next week, beginning with a trip to Plymouth State University on January 25 at 7:30 p.m.
- Southern Maine will host Rhode Island College on the same date.