HARTFORD, Conn. – For the fourth consecutive season, the Keene State College men's basketball team is marching on.  It was not easy, but the Owls made enough key shots and key plays to down Clark University 77-68 in an NCAA tournament first round game at Ray Oosting Gymnasium on the campus of Trinity College Friday night.

Highlights...coming soon
Postgame Press Conference

It was ultimately a big run to end the first half that helped KSC (23-5) swing the game in their favor, and despite going only 10-for-34 from three, the Owls made three at critical times to help thwart the Cougars (18-10), who upset Worcester Polytechnic Institute 75-60 on the road last Saturday in the NEWMAC championship to snag a bid.  KSC won the Little East Confernence tournament for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season on the same day.

Neither team ever had a double-digit lead, and neither team led by more than three points until Reid Neumann canned a three for Clark that put his team up 17-12 halfway through the first half.  Spencer Aronson and Octavio Brito ran off five quick points to tie the game, which featured four deadlocks and 10 lead changes, but it seemed the Cougars were going to retake control heading into the half after Boluwasefe John scored inside and Isaiah Taylor followed with a three to make it 28-24 with 3:30 left.  However, an 11-1 run over the remainder of the half pushed the Owls to their largest lead at the break.  Brito and Mason Jean Baptiste canned treys on consecutive possessions to put KSC ahead 30-28, and a second-chance bucket and free throw by Brito with 1:12 to go put the Owls up five.  Mitch Shettles scored inside with 35 ticks on the clock to make it a 35-29 game at the break.  Keene State held Clark to just 31 percent shooting (10-32) in the opening 20 minutes and leading scorer Bruce Saintilus to just one point.  He would finish with just three on five shots.

The Cougars quickly tied it coming out of the locker room, authoring a 7-1 surge over the opening 4:13 as they attacked the basket.  However, the Owls nearly always had a response – this time it was Aronson answering with a three on the other end to push KSC back in front 39-36 with 15:25 left.  Clark's lone lead of the second half (42-41) lasted for 14 seconds, as Brito and Shettles scored on the ensuing two trips to push the Owls back in front by three.  Taylor made it a one-point game (47-46) with 10:02 left and Clark did have the ball with a chance at a lead before missing a three.  Ryan Blakey then cashed in from deep on the other side and added two free throws moments later to bump KSC's lead to 52-46 with 8:56 remaining.  The Owls maintained that type of advantage for nearly the rest of the way.  Jean Baptiste and Siow converted layups over the ensuing two minutes to make it 56-49, and Brito rose for a dunk with 6:38 on the clock to answer two free throws by Kekoa McArdle.  The Owls' two-time All-American then drained a big three 23 seconds later to give KSC their largest lead of the game (61-52).  Clark got within five twice after that, but no closer.  Ahead 63-58 with under four minutes to go, Wesley Odiase forced a critical turnover by McArdle and halfcourt and was in alone for a dunk that pushed the lead back to seven.  Liam Johnston then made a pair of critical plays late, first canning a corner trey with 2:22 left to make it 68-60 and then driving to the basket for a layup while being fouled with 51 seconds left to give the Owls a 72-64 head.  He would miss the free throw, but KSC went 5-for-6 at the charity stripe after that to salt away their sixth NCAA tournament victory over the past three seasons.

Brito finished with his third consecutive postseason double-double, notching 22 points (8-18 FG, 4-8 3-PT, 2-3 FT) and 14 rebounds.  He added four assists and three blocks.  Aronson, Jean Baptiste, and Blakey all added nine points.  KSC won despite shooting only 38.2 percent and 29.4 percent from three-point range.  Clark, who had been outrebounded only five times all season, did control the glass 48-41, but was forced into 16 turnovers and shot only 39.3 percent overall themselves and an equal 29.4 percent (5-for-17) from deep.  The Owls were 15-of-19 at the foul line and the Cougars 15-for-25.  Brito now has 2,188 career points – 128 away from program all-time leading scorer Ty Nichols.

The sizzling Quentin Pridgen, who made 6-of-7 from three in the NEWMAC title game, paced Clark with 18 points (6-8 FG, 3-5 3-PT, 3-5 FT) and 11 rebounds.  Taylor also scored 18 (7-16 FG) while adding five rebounds and four assists, but KSC forced him into seven turnovers.  McArdle (4-12 FG) finished with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double while John had 13 points (5-13 FG) and six boards off the bench.

KSC moves on to take on host and No. 4 nationally-ranked Trinity College (Conn.) in the second round on Saturday night at 7:10 p.m.  The Bantams pulled away from a 34-34 second half tie to beat Neumann University 76-60 in the second game of the night.  It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams all-time, with Trinity winning their two home games (86-73 in 2018 and 83-65 in 2016) and KSC winning the lone meeting at Spaulding Gymnasium 76-66.