KEENE, N.H. – A posterizing dunk by Jeff Hunter a little over two minutes in proved to be one of the bigger highlights on a day in which the Keene State College men's basketball scored points – a lot of them.  The Owls shot 67 percent in both halves and connected on 14-of-22 from three, bludgeoning the University of Massachusetts-Boston 117-69 in Little East Conference action Saturday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium.

Records

• No. 13 Keene State:  10-2, 4-0 LEC
• UMass-Boston:  2-12, 1-4 LEC

Postgame Interview (Coach Hastings)
Sullivan Tire Player of the Game Interview (Spencer Aronson)

How It Happened
When KSC places at least four players in double-figures, it often portends a positive result for the Owls.  Same when Jeff Hunter records double-doubles, and same when Spencer Aronson drains threes off the bench (though he did make a spot start on this afternoon).  All of those things – and more, such as Octavio Brito not being too far away from a triple-double – came to fruition as Keene State returned home for the first time in a month and decimated the Beacons, running up a 62-40 halftime lead and then pummeling the visitors 55-29 in the second half in what finished as a 48-point victory, tied for their ninth-largest winning margin in the Division III era (since 1997).  Their 22-of-33 shooting in each half represented their most potent offensive showing since a 73 percent (16-for-22) effort in the second half of an NCAA tournament first round win over No. 20 Swarthmore College in 2022.

As those facts illustrate, there was not much doubt in the outcome Saturday.  UMass-Boston hung around some thanks to a hot shooting start, getting within 19-18 after KSC had previously led by six, but the Owls immediately reeled off seven straight for a 26-18 edge not even eight minutes in.  Consecutive buckets from Hunter and Alonzo Linton made it 30-21 at the 10:32 mark, and the first double-digit lead came on another Hunter bucket 25 seconds later.  Leading by seven with 8:35 until the break, it was all Owls from there, as a triple by Liam Johnston kicked off 11 straight points for KSC, and a run that eventually ballooned to 18-2 and a 52-29 lead with 4:45 to go.  Keene State led by as many as 26 (57-31) after a Mason Jean Baptiste three-point play in the opening half before carrying a 22-point edge to the locker room.  Hunter piled up 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in 17 first half minutes.  Brito had an impressive half, recording 18 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 3-PT, 6-6 FT), seven assists, and five rebounds.

Neither needed to play many minutes in the second half (seven apiece), but the lead only kept growing because of major bench contributions, as Johnston and Wesley Odiase made all 10 shots they took (each scoring 12 points) and added two assists apiece.  Aronson sizzled from three, draining that many from deep, and scored 11 himself in the half, while Alonzo Linton and Isaac Ogutuga each scored six and missed only one shot between them.  Aronson's triples in the half all came in the opening three minutes as KSC pushed their lead to 75-42, and a coast-to-coast dunk from Linton made it 83-49 with 11:48 left.  The Owls reached the century mark with a whopping 6:37 left on the clock on a Johnston three, and he kept firing – and making – as Keene State went up 106-56 a minute later.  Steven Cordero registered his first collegiate points with 2:17 to go, and every Owl that saw action in the game had a positive plus-minus rating, paced by a plus-45 mark from Aronson.  KSC finished 14-for-22 from long range, with Aronson and Johnston combining to go 10-for-11.

Hunter ultimately led the way with 21 points (9-12 FG, 3-3 FT), 10 rebounds, and three assists in 23 minutes for the Owls.  Brito had 20 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 8-8 FT), nine assists, and six rebounds, while Aronson tossed in 19 more points (6-7 FG, 5-6 3-PT), Johnston 15 (5-5 3-PT), Odiase 12 (6-8 FG), and Linton 11 (5-9 FG).
Emanuel Zayas paced the Beacons with 19 points, making 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-7 from distance, three rebounds, and three assists.

Inside the Paint

• The Owls' 30 assists as a team on 44 made field goals marked a season-high – five more than the previous best (25) and their most since recording that many in a 108-83 home win over Rhode Island College on January 28, 2022.  They also had 37 against the Anchormen in a 20-point road victory that season on December 11, 2021.
• The Owls are shooting 38 percent from three-point range as a team, paced by a 43 percent mark from Brito and a 38.5 percent clip for Aronson.  Their 14-for-22 (63.6%) mark today was also a season-best, surpassing a 45 percent effort in an 80-64 win at Connecticut College (who won 56-54 at No. 5 Tufts University Friday night).
• KSC's bench outscored UMB 51-26, and the Owls also enjoyed a 40-26 rebounding advantage.
• The Owls have won five straight in the series and are 48-9 against UMass-Boston.

Up Next

• Keene State hosts Eastern Connecticut State University (3-10, 0-4 LEC) on Tuesday night (January 9) at 6:00 p.m. to continue a stretch of four games in seven days.
• UMass-Boston visits the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (7-5, 4-0 LEC) on the same night (7:00 p.m.).  UMD edged Vermont State University Castleton 73-72 at home today.