CASTLETON, Vt. – Junior guard Mason Jean Baptiste made 4-of-8 from three-point range to score a team-high 12 points while seniors Jeff Hunter and Jeric Cichon combined for 20 points and 23 rebounds while each posting double-doubles as the nationally No. 5-ranked Keene State College men's basketball team wrapped up their fourth outright Little East Conference regular season championship in program history by taking care of business in a 63-35 victory at Castleton University Wednesday night at Glenbrook Gymnasium.

Records

• No. 5 Keene State:  23-1, 15-0 LEC
• Castleton:  3-20, 0-15 LEC

LEC Men's Basketball Team vs. Team Chart (click here)

How It Happened
KSC shot an uncharacteristic 38 percent, made just 9-of-29 (31 percent) from long range, and only 12-of-21 at the free throw line (57 percent), but led 11-0 barely over four minutes into the game and was well in control throughout as they suffocated the Spartans' struggling offense, holding them to 26 percent shooting (13-for-50) while forcing 16 turnovers.  The Owls led by 14 (29-15) at the break before rapidly expanding their advantage to 39-18 with a 10-3 burst in the opening 1:50 of the second half.   The lead never dropped to 15 after that, and expanded to as many as 28, allowing 17 different players to see time for KSC, 10 of whom scored.  Octavio Brito finished with nine points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3-PT) and eight rebounds, while Tahmeen Dupree added eight points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3-PT), one rebound, one assist, and one steal.  Castleton, who shot just 22 percent in an 86-42 loss to Western Connecticut State University Saturday, was limited to season-lows of 13 made field goals and 35 total points tonight.  They had nobody reach double-figures, with Ryan Holland (2-4 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 2-3 FT) contributing a team-high seven points, and have not won since November 18 when they improved to 3-2.

After the opening run by the Owls, the closest the Spartans came was 13-8 after they answered with an 8-2 jaunt that culminated with a Brandon Cahill layup at the 12:51 mark.  A triple from Liam Johnston two and a half minutes later nudged the KSC lead back to nine, and one of Jean Baptiste's four treys came with 8:35 to go in the half and made it 22-12.  Brito canned a jumper on the next possession for a 12-point edge, and the Owls were well on their way, holding Castleton to three points over the final 8:42 of the first.  The Spartans shot just 30 percent in the opening 20 minutes and missed their one three-point try.  Brito drained a triple with 2:43 left in the half for a 28-14 lead, and a free throw from Cichon in the final 30 seconds helped keep it a 14-point game at the break.

Aside from a John Walsh three on their opening possession, the Spartans' hopes were flattened out of the locker room, as KSC connected from distance four times (from three different players) in six minutes to push their lead to 50-26.  The stretch culminated with a familiar flurry, with Jean Baptiste, Brito, and Dupree all draining triples in 51 seconds to turn a 15-point game into a 24-point edge.  In fact, the Owls made one less three in that stretch than Castleton did in the entire game (4-for-14).  Dupree continued his uprising – both in the game and overall in his season since transferring from Nichols College around the holidays – by connecting from long range and then following with a dunk 20 seconds later after he picked the pocket of Justin Schwarzbeck to gave KSC a 57-30 lead with 7:42 left.  Mixing around lineups, the Owls managed just six more points after that but were well in control and held the Spartans to just five points in that span.  L.J. Hicks' steal and basket with 2:53 to go made it 59-33, and he and Gabe Bristow each rolled in for layups in the final two minutes to set the final score – KSC's 19th double-digit win of the year.

"Happy to go on the road and play reasonably well against a style that can be hard to play against," said Cain, referring to Castleton's slower-paced offensive style.  "They do a great job limiting possessions and being tough to play against, but our guys stayed engaged."

The win gave the Owls their fourth outright Little East Conference regular season championship, joining the 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006 seasons.  KSC also shared the title in 1998-1999 and 2018-2019.  Next week, they will aim for their sixth league tournament title and fifth since 2015.

"I'm proud of our guys to win the regular season outright tonight," said Cain.  "It is a long year and our guys have stepped up to make our program player-driven and allowed us to fairly consistently play at a high level.  Huge game Saturday for our program, and we look forward to honoring our seniors."

Hunter's double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds (four offensive) came on a season-low seven shot attempts from the field.  Cichon had 10 points (4-6 FT) and 12 rebounds (four offensive).

Castleton scoring leader Tray Wright finished with four points on 2-of-8 shooting.

Inside the Paint

• Dupree is shooting 51 percent from the floor and 7-of-12 from three-point range in his 14 games since joining the team.  Since January 21 (a seven-game span), he has 43 points on 15-for-30 shooting (6-8 3-PT), 16 rebounds, six assists, and six steals while averaging 15 minutes per game.  He played a combined 45 minutes in KSC's pair of league road victories at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Western Connecticut State University.
• The Owls have forced 92 turnovers from their opponents in the last five games (18.4 per contest).  On the season, Keene State has forced opponents to have 176 more turnovers than assists while offensively the Owls are plus-98 in the same category (385 assists, 287 turnovers).
• KSC swept the season series with Castleton after steamrolling the Spartans 102-49 in Keene on January 18.  The Owls have won all 12 all-time meetings, 10 by double-digits.
• Hunter and Brito were on the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, which was released earlier on Wednesday.  Keene State's leading duo had been named on the original Top 100 list, which was cut in half today.

Up Next

• The Owls close the regular season by welcoming UMass-Boston (15-9, 8-7 LEC) to Spaulding Gymnasium on Saturday, February 18.  Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m.  KSC will honor seniors Max Bonney-Liles, Cichon, Tyler Dill, Edwin Ezedonmwen, and Nick Redden for their contributions to the program before the game.  The Beacons have lost five of seven, including a 76-60 final at home in which they trailed by as many as 24 points against the University of Southern Maine tonight.
• Castleton travels to the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (7-17, 6-9 LEC) on the same day (3:00 p.m.).  The Corsairs had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win at Rhode Island College tonight but lost 70-68 after blowing a nine-point lead in the final 5:43.  UMD controls their fate and can still clinch the No. 6 seed in the upcoming LEC tournament with a win Saturday over the Spartans, who were eliminated 12 days ago.  RIC would need a win and a UMass-Dartmouth loss to get in.