Nov 18, 2016
Records
- Keene State: 2-0
- Hartwick: 1-1
Tale of the Tape
- Nichols led Keene State in scoring for the second straight game, scoring 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting, with six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes. Dizel Wright had 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals, Matt Ozzella had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Damonte Turner had 11 points and Jaquel Edwards added 10.
- KSC dominated the glass for the second straight game, holding a 56-36 advantage on the Hawks, including a 19-5 edge in offensive rebounds. Five different players had at least six rebounds for KSC.
- The Owls also played a strong defensive game, holding the Hawks to 16.7% from three point range (4-for-24), forcing 18 turnovers, and limiting Hartwick to six assists on 22 field goals made.
- Hartwick's Brandon LaForest led all players in scoring with 19 points, while Joey Lufkin had 17 and Jake Sinicki had 11.
First Half Highlights
- Nichols drained a three on the Owls' first possession, but Lufkin was fouled on a three point attempt and knocked down all three shots for a 7-5 lead at the 16:38 mark.
- Ozzella's layup gave the Owls a 10-7 lead, only to have the Hawks go on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, taking a 16-12 lead on Sinicki's jumper.
- Nichols' steal and feed to Wright for a layup was part of a 9-2 run that gave KSC a 27-23 advantage, and Edwards' three with 4:51 left boosted the lead to 34-24. Brandon LaForest's layup with 1:35 remaining trimmed the gap to 36-35.
- The Hawks' Matt Knezovic sank a three with 31 seconds left to cut the lead to 40-38, but Turner grabbed a rebound of his own missed shot and knocked down a three pointer at the first half buzzer to send the Owls into the lockerroom up 43-38.
Second Half Highlights
- Hartwick scored the first five points of the second half, tying the game in the early stages on Lufkin's three with 1:10 played (43-43). A layup from Jeff Lunn restored KSC's lead a minute later, and the Owls never looked back.
- Nichols swished a three that made it 50-43, and Ozzella laid in the rebound of a missed three pointer to make it 53-45. Turner then made consecutive threes for a 68-52 lead.
- Ozzella canned a triple of his own to give the Owls their largest lead at 77-58 as Keene State won by double-figures for the second straight game.
Up Next
- Keene State plays SUNY Oneonta in the second game of the tournament at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
- Hartwick will close out the tournament by playing SUNY Cobleskill at 4 p.m. on Saturday.