KEENE, N.H. – In the 60th matchup between the two teams, the Keene State College women's basketball team came away with their second-highest margin of victory in series history over Plymouth State University on Wednesday night as KSC smoked their in-state rivals, 87-49, to open Little East Conference play.
Records
- Keene State: 4-5 (1-0 LEC)
- Plymouth State: 3-7 (0-1 LEC)
Highlights
Postgame Interview (Coach Boucher)
Postgame Interview (Brynn Rautiola)
How It Happened
KSC opened the first quarter hot, outscoring PSU 6-4 over the first 2:03 with a pair of threes, coming from
Valerie Luizzi and
Brynn Rautiola. KSC added another eight-point run over the next four minutes, with Luizzi and Rautiola recording a pair of points, along with two from each
Avery Stewart and
Ruby Dasaro to give KSC a 14-4 lead. Ashley Stephens cut the Owls lead to seven with a three on the Panthers' next possession, but KSC responded with seven more consecutive points, with Dasaro making a layup and
Kiley Bundy scoring five points to increase the lead to 14 with 2:08 in the opening quarter. PSU went on a 5-2 scoring run to end the first as KSC maintained a 23-10 lead for their second-highest opening quarter of their season thus far.
The Owls opened the second quarter even hotter than the first, as KSC scored on seven of their first 11 possessions to open the quarter and scored 16 straight points. Rautiola scored seven of the points for the Owls, while Bundy recorded five more and Luizzi and Pillsbury accounted for the rest with a field goal apiece. A large part of KSC's offensive success over the first five minutes of the second was their defense, as the Owls recorded five steals with Rautiola and
Lilly Krysinski each accounting for two apiece. Hailey Malozzi scored the first points for PSU with a free throw with 4:47 left in the half, and shortly after, traded made three-pointers with Luizzi. In the final three minutes of the half, KSC outscored PSU 8-2 with Rautiola hitting a pair of threes and
Anna Brown grabbing an offensive board and putting it back up and in in the final seconds to give KSC a 50-19 lead heading into the half.
The third quarter was nearly identical to the first for scoring, as KSC outscored PSU 23-10 (compared to 23-12 in the first) over the 10 minutes of play. Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the quarter until
Samantha Lee made a layup 2:11 into the third. Both teams combined for five threes for the next five baskets with Raegan Peck and Kaley Goodhart scoring for the Panthers, while Rautiola went 3-for-3 from behind the arc over a 2:16 span. After Rautiola's third three, KSC scored six more for a nine-point run, with Stewart and Krysinski making both their free throws and Bundy netting another basket. KSC ended the last two minutes of the quarter on a 6-4 run and took their 73-29 lead into the final minute of play.
PSU had their highest scoring quarter in the fourth as they recorded 20 points, compared to just 14 from KSC. PSU scored 10 of their 20 points in the opening 3:01 of the final quarter, compared to four points from KSC as the Owls' lead was cut to 38, before Pillsbury hit a three on the Owls' next possession to bring KSC's total to 80 points scored. Bundy scored all seven of the Owls' points the rest of the way to bring her total to a career-high of 19 points on the day, as KSC coasted to an 87-49 win over the Panthers.
Inside the Paint
- With the win, KSC still dominates the all-time series between the two schools, 46-14, with an average scoring margin of 12.5 over PSU.
- The Owls improved to 2-0 at home with the victory, to start their season 2-0 at home for the fourth consecutive year.
- KSC's defense locked down PSU, as the Owls recorded 17 steals with Luizzi leading the way with a game-high of four and Rautiola logging three.
- The Owls converted on the Panthers' 22 turnovers as they recorded 23 points over turnovers
- KSC had four scorers in double-figures, with Rautiola logging 27, Bundy with a collegiate career-high of 19, Luizzi recording 12 and Dasaro continuing her great start in her first year with 10.
- After a 3-for-35 start to open her season from three in her first two games, Rautiola has found her form again by shooting 33-for-79 (42%) from three over the past six games.
- Entering the game as fourth in the nation in three-point attempts per game with 33.0 (264 in eight games), and fourth in three pointers per game with 9.8 (78 in 8), KSC attempted 36 threes in the contest, making 14 with Rautiola accounting for eight and Bundy logging three for the Owls.
Up Next
Keene State returns to action on Monday, December 30, as they host Colby-Sawyer College at 2:00 PM.
Plymouth State has nearly a month off until their next contest, as they will next play at New England College on Thursday, January 9, at 5:00 PM.
