WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior Leo Chaikin scored a game and career-high 23 points on a remarkably efficient 10-for-15 effort from the field and the Keene State College men's basketball team held Eastern Connecticut State University's three leading scorers to only 20 points as the Owls won for the tenth straight time in the series to secure a season sweep with a 73-57 Little East Conference win at Geissler Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

The win locks in at least one home game for KSC (14-10, 10-5 LEC) – four-time defending league champions – in the Little East Conference tournament, which gets underway next Tuesday with the quarterfinals before the semifinals take place Thursday and the championship on Saturday.  The Owls are still in play for the No. 2 seed if the right scenarios play out this Saturday on Senior Day, as they would need a win against Rhode Island College and a UMass-Dartmouth victory at Western Connecticut State University to finish second thanks to season sweeps of WestConn and Southern Maine.  All four games on the schedule Saturday will feature teams with something to play for – with major stakes on the game in Danbury as WestConn plays for the No. 1 seed and UMass-Dartmouth plays a game they must win to qualify for the postseason and are eliminated if they lose.  The Corsairs kept their hopes alive with a 95-90 road win over the University of Massachusetts-Boston tonight, preventing the Beacons from winning the conference regular season crown outright and giving WestConn a chance for the No. 1 seed – but now must beat the Wolves, which KSC will be rooting for, to qualify.

Chaikin scored 15 of his points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed five boards alone in the second half, when the Owls took complete command, outscoring Eastern (15-9, 7-8 LEC) 40-28.  Leading 33-29 at the break, KSC opened a double-digit lead (44-33) six minutes into the half on Chaikin's layup and was never significantly threatened, holding the Warriors to just eight points over the opening 11:25 out of the locker room as the run expanded to 20-8.  Isaac Ogutuga's triple with 8:35 left had KSC up 53-37, and after Eastern got a rare basket, Jordan Cooper drained a three to make it 56-39.  The home team made one push, getting within nine with 3:49 remaining, but Cooper swished another triple two possessions later to restore a double-digit lead and Mitch Shettles canned a jumper with 2:31 to go to make it 65-52.  Up 12, Liam Johnson made a triple and Denis Wainaina scored inside as the clock ticked toward a minute to make it 70-53 and end whatever hope the Warriors had left.

The Owls held Eastern to just 37 percent shooting on the night and 7-for-25 from three while also dominating the glass by a 49-28 margin.  KSC's defense was also a major factor, as they held Julian Sanchez to just nine points on 3-of-10 shooting and a major three-point threat Dominick Dao scoreless (0-8 FG, 0-5 3-PT).  Ray Carter (14 pts., 5-11 FG, 3-7 3-PT) and Jalen Hamblin (11 pts., 5-10 FG) were among the only Warriors to have an efficient night as the home team saw their four-game winning streak snapped and their playoff spot put in more peril as their season-finale against Plymouth State University looms.  Eastern will still qualify for the playoffs – and could play KSC depending on results – as long as both UMass-Dartmouth and Rhode Island College do not both win on Saturday.  If they did, Eastern would be eliminated regardless of their result against the Panthers, who are eliminated from contention.

KSC actually found themselves chasing for most of the first half, as a three by Carter nearly eight minutes in put the Owls in a 15-9 hole and his layup with 8:58 to go still had his team up five (20-15).  But KSC locked down the Warriors over the final six minutes of the half, holding them to just three points as they closed on a 12-3 push to take a four-point lead into halftime.  ECSU was just 1-for-5 with four turnovers in that span while KSC was 4-for-8 and 2-of-3 from three.  Shettles scored a lightning-quick eight points, including a long ball that gave the Owls a 30-27 lead with 2:35 left, ultimately an advantage they would never relinquish.

Halftime did little to slow KSC's momentum, as all told, the Owls outscored Eastern 35-13 over a 17-minute span overlapping halftime, holding them to just 6-for-21 with 10 turnovers while shooting nearly 50 percent themselves.  Chaikin scored 15 and Shettles 10 in that game-breaking surge.

"I thought our defense and our rebounding answered the bell tonight," said KSC head coach Steve Enright.  "We did a good job on Dao, their best player, holding him scoreless.  We need to do a better job taking care of the basketball.  I thought when we didn't turn it over we got whatever we wanted offensively.  Mitch Shettles kept us afloat in the first half and Leo Chaikin was our rock again in the second half.  Allyn Wright (9 pts., 2-4 FG, 5-6 FT, 4 asst.) has stacked two really strong performances back-to-back and was really solid in all areas tonight."

Chaikin's 23 points surpassed his old career-highs of 22 set twice this season, and he now has had five consecutive double-digit scoring outputs and is shooting nearly 52 percent from the field this season (and nearly 86 percent at the foul line).

Shettles finished with 12 points (5-12 FG, 2-5 3-PT) and three rebounds, while Cooper had 13 points (5-13 FG, 2-4 3-PT), six boards, and three assists.

Keene State closes their regular season on Saturday (February 21) at home against Rhode Island College on Senior Day.  Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m.  The Anchormen have lost five straight, including dropping an 83-70 home decision to WestConn tonight in a game where they trailed by as many as 21 and never led.  RIC can guarantee a playoff spot with a win, though would also qualify if WestConn beats UMass-Dartmouth.  With a win Saturday, KSC would lock in at least the No. 3 seed, and would be the No. 2 seed with a victory and a WestConn loss against a desperate UMass-Dartmouth team.

What begins as a 144-game conference slate now has just four remaining, and 16 possible outcomes.  KSC is the No. 3 seed in half of the possible outcomes, the No. 2 seed in four, and the No. 4 seed in four.