DANBURY, Conn. – Senior forward Jeff Hunter posted 23 points, 20 rebounds, and four blocks while sophomore guard Spencer Aronson added 23 himself while lighting it up from three-point range as the nationally No. 6 ranked Keene State College men's basketball team took a big step in their 2022-2023 journey Saturday afternoon, blowing past Western Connecticut State University 92-76 at Feldman Arena to reduce their magic number to clinch the top seed in the Little East Conference to one.

Records

• No. 6 Keene State:  21-1, 13-0 LEC
• Western Connecticut:  19-2, 11-2 LEC

How It Happened
In a matchup that was going to go a long way in shaping how the playoff picture may look in two weeks, the Owls turned a five-point halftime lead into a 12-point edge in 67 seconds out of the locker room and led by double-figures the rest of the way as they completed a critical season sweep of the Wolves, handing them their only two losses of the season so far.  It was a far different way of getting there than the first time around, when KSC built a 32-15 lead in the first half but then found themselves trailing by 10 with four minutes left before mounting a furious rally to win 71-68 in overtime.  A huge reason for the victory exactly four weeks ago was the shooting of Aronson – and he was back at it today, drilling six of the Owls' 15 three-pointers.  The Holliston, Mass. native also had six that day, all coming at critical times late.  Today, Octavio Brito added five himself (on eight attempts) and efficiently scored 22 points as KSC punished WestConn from beyond the arc, shooting 39 percent (15-for-38), while also racking up a 54-37 advantage on the boards.  Brito was limited to just 20 minutes in the first meeting and fouled out with nearly eight minutes to go while shooting just 1-of-6 from three-point range, but this time around he was a key part of a big second half burst that helped push the Owls comfortably in front.  The star sophomore opened the second half by blocking a layup from Solomon Silas on the Wolves' first possession and drained a three 15 seconds later, and then on the next trip grabbed a Keeshawn Jones miss and eventually flew in for a put-back dunk that had KSC in front 49-39 with 19:08 left.  Nate Siow pestered Jalen Jackson and forced a turnover just seconds after that and found Hunter in transition for a flush that suddenly had the Owls flying and up 12 after a 7-0 burst that took 67 seconds.

"The key to the (second half) start was rebounding, taking care of the ball, and playing solid defensively," said Keene State head coach Ryan Cain.  "We made some shots by playing unselfish, generated a couple dunks on putbacks and steals, and then played solid defensively except for getting hurt a bit on the glass throughout the second half."

WestConn, thanks to 11 offensive rebounds as a team in the final 20 minutes (after just four in the first half), was within shouting distance here and there over the course of the second half, including when a triple from Jaysean Morgan made it 57-46 with 15:15 to go.  However, Brito buried one of his own 14 seconds later, and that told the tale of the second half, as the Wolves – 11-0 at home entering the day – trailed by double-digits for the final 19:08.  A layup from Hunter and triple from the emerging mid-year sophomore transfer Tahmeen Dupree on consecutive possessions helped opened a 65-48 KSC lead with 12:38 to go, and Brito made it 68-50 with a jumper a little over a minute later.  After Dupree found Hunter inside to make it 70-52 with 10:23 remaining, the Owls scored just two points over the next five minutes and saw WestConn trim their deficit to 12 (72-60) with 5:26 still on the clock.  However, whatever hope the Wolves had at that point was extinguished by Aronson, who converted a Siow steal into a three that made it 75-60, and then stayed hot with another triple at the 4:02 mark that made it 80-63.  Hunter provided an exclamation point by tracking down a long rebound of a Kendall Robinson miss and dribbling down the court for a one-handed jam that put his team up a game-high 19 (82-63) with 3:40 to go.  The Owls rolled from there and were still firing on offense, as Siow sliced to the basket to make it 84-65 and Aronson buried another triple for an 87-72 lead.  Hunter added another dunk to his ledger for good measure and Dupree another three as KSC polished off a strong offensive half by shooting 51 percent (19-for-37) and 7-of-17 from three (41 percent).  They also reduced the turnovers against the Wolves' pressure defense, committing nine after a sloppy 13 in the opening half that prevented them from opening the game up then.

"We attacked a little bit better across the board today (than the first meeting)," said Cain.  "We rebounded better despite some issues in the second half, and played better individual and team defense as they attacked the basket.  Overall a great team win and a good performance."

Hunter's third career 20/20 double-double (all this season) came on 10-for-15 shooting from the field.  He added two assists to his four blocks.  Aronson's (7-13 FG, 6-12 3-PT, 3-3 FT) 23 points were a new season-best, surpassing the 18 he had in the first meeting between the two teams.  Brito made 8-of-12 from the field and added seven rebounds, three assists, four blocks, and a steal.  Dupree (3-6 FG, 2-2 3-PT) finished with eight points, four rebounds, and two assists off the bench.  He is 17-for-33 (52 percent) from the field over 12 games since joining the team.

Robinson led Western Connecticut with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting (2-4 3-PT, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.  Jones tossed in 11 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3-PT), but the Wolves were outscored 45-15 from the three-point line, going 5-for-16 themselves (31 percent) from long range.

The Owls' burst out of the locker room was especially important given how the game started, with neither team leading by more than one possession until Liam Johnson drained a three that made it 24-19 KSC with 9:36 to go in the opening half.  WestConn scored the next four to get back within one, but the Owls went back up six (29-23) at the 7:24 mark after a trey from Brito and layup from Hunter.  The home team again answered with five in a row, and after treys from Aronson and Brito later made it 35-29, WCSU still hung around, eventually trimming what was a 40-33 hole down to two (41-39) with 50 seconds left in the half.  However, Aronson was fouled shooting a three in the final seconds as the Wolves tried to find some way of containing him, and he then sank all three free throws to put the Owls up five at halftime, which wound up being a harbinger of what was their decisive flurry to come after.

Inside the Paint

• Aronson is shooting 38 percent (53-for-138) from three-point range this season and has made at least four threes in a game seven times.  The Owls average 92.3 points per game when he scores in double-figures and win by an average of 24.2 points per game.  Against WestConn in the regular season series, Aronson scored 41 points and shot 12-for-27 from three-point range.
• After a three-point lull for Brito in the first four games after the holiday break, he is now 21-for-45 (47 percent) in the last eight games.  The Lincoln, R.I. native is shooting 49.9 percent from the field overall and is averaging 21.7 points per game.
• The Owls have won four straight against WestConn and are 38-19 in the all-time series.
• KSC was ranked No. 6 in the most recent d3hoops.com Top 25 poll on January 30 and WCSU was receiving votes.

Up Next

• Keene State will aim to clinch the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Little East Conference tournament when they host the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (6-15, 5-7 LEC) on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m.  The Owls dismantled the Corsairs 100-72 in the first meeting behind a dominant 62-35 second half.  It is one of just three regular season games left for KSC.  "The most important thing is playing our best basketball at the end of the year," said Cain.  "We want to be on an upward trajectory going into the postseason and feel confident about our process and ability to play our best against the best.  If we play at the level we can play at, then getting some home games will take care of itself.  Obviously, it is better to play at home than on the road especially with our crowds so far this season."
• WestConn hosts State University of New York-Old Westbury (2-17, 2-10 Skyline) on Monday night (February 6) in their final non-conference game of the regular season before traveling to Castleton University on Saturday, February 11.