Aiming For Longer NCAA Run Than Last Year, KSC Instead Concludes in Same Round
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The fifth-ranked Keene State College men's basketball team committed a season-high 21 turnovers and saw a 29-24 first half lead dissolve into a six-point halftime deficit and never recovered, falling at No. 7 Guilford College 82-60 in the sectional semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Division III tournament on Friday night at Ragan-Brown Field House.
Records
- No. 5 Keene State: 26-4
- No. 7 Guilford: 25-4
Postgame Press Conference (Keene State)
How It Happened
The Owls were off to a good start of the game's opening 15 minutes, flipping an early 15-9 deficit into a four-point lead after a 13-3 burst and eventually led 29-24 after a dunk by Jeff Hunter with 4:34 to go in the opening half, but the game went south from there. The host Quakers closed the first on a 12-4 run to take a 40-34 lead and KSC never got closer than four in the second half, the last time coming as close as that margin at 44-40 with 17:21 left. Guilford then ran off 10 consecutive points over the next three minutes to take a 14-point lead, and eventually made it 61-44 following a Dawson Edwards three with 12:29 to go. The Owls never made a serious push after that, only getting as close as 13 on Nate Siow's three at the 11:43 mark.
Keene State was plagued by an uncharacteristic 21 turnovers – a season-high by three more than the next closest number (18 in an 87-71 loss to Stockton University in November). In the first half alone, despite holding a lead for over 10 minutes of the period, they committed 12 turnovers (Guilford only four) and were trailing at the break because of it despite outshooting the Quakers. For context, KSC turned the ball over 12 times or fewer in an entire game 21 times in 29 games entering the night. Tonight was not one of them facing a Guilford team that had allowed the third-fewest points per game in the country and plays at one of the slower tempos in Division III. However, the hosts' offense was not slowed much either, as they made 9-of-22 from deep and saw Tyler Dearman and Julius Burch combine for 44 points on 15-for-32 shooting, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Quakers outscored KSC off turnovers 26-11, including 13-6 in the first half, yet also beat the Owls in transition 12-6. Keene State had, remarkably, just one steal in the game while Guilford had 13.
KSC turned the ball over nine additional times in the second half and their shooting numbers also worsened, as they connected on just 36.7 percent from the floor (11-30) and made 1-of-12 from three-point range after a 5-for-12 mark in the opening 20 minutes, preventing any comeback attempt from even getting started. The closest the Owls came was 44-40 with 17:21 left, after which the Quakers reeled off 10 straight points to go up 14. KSC never found nearly enough offense to make a serious push. Meanwhile, Guilford had just three miscues in the final 20 minutes and shot 50 percent (4-8) from three while making 12-of-14 at the foul line (KSC was 6-of-8 at the charity stripe in the entire game). Therefore, the game got away from the Owls. Down 58-44 and in desperate need of a run, KSC turned the ball over five times over the next five minutes and trailed 69-50 with 8:34 left. It was 69-54 when Guilford put the game completely away with an 11-0 run in a 2:50 span after Hunter fouled out for the first time in two years. The Owls wound up finishing with their lowest point total of the season and lost their four lowest scoring games of the season (their four losses came when scoring 60, 63, 71, and 73 while they won every game when scoring 77 or more.)
Hunter (5-7 FG, 2-4 FT) and Octavio Brito (5-14 FG, 0-4 3-PT, 2-2 FT) each had 12 points and nine rebounds, with Brito adding four assists and Hunter two. Jean Baptiste finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 3-of-4 from deep.
Guilford was paced by Dearman, who had 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 3-of-6 from three, and 6-of-7 at the foul line. He added three rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Burch had 17 points (6-14 FG, 5-7 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals, while Caleb Farrish had 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals. The Quakers also got contributions from others at key times, including from Rob Littlejohn, who was 0-for-4 from inside the arc but made two of his three triples, both late in the first half to help turn a 32-28 deficit for his team into a 36-34 lead. It was the beginning of Guilford's 7-0 run to end the half, and KSC never led again. From that three until the 2:46 mark of the second half, a span of 19:08, the Owls shot 8-of-25 (32 percent) and made 1-of-11 from three while turning the ball over 10 times.
Inside the Paint
- Hunter finishes his decorated Owl career with a number of remarkable accomplishments, including becoming the all-time leading rebounder (1,395) and shot blocker (238) while being fourth on Keene State's all-time scoring list (1,923 points). He shot 59.6 percent for his career (first by over a full percentage point), including over 60 percent in each of his final three seasons. Hunter is a Jostens Trophy finalist for the second consecutive season and will likely be a First Team All-American for the second consecutive season. He is on track to be the national double-double statistical champion in Division III for the second straight season, and ends his KSC career with a record of 91-32, including 54-6 over the last two seasons, and three consecutive LEC championships with two straight Sweet 16 appearances.
- KSC is 14-9 all-time in 23 NCAA tournament games and was bidding for a third Elite Eight appearance in program history, but instead lost in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season by a nearly identical score (lost at Swarthmore College 82-58 last year after being them in the first round the year before). In their last three NCAA tournament losses, they are averaging 60.3 points per game, a mark that in this year's full season would have been 406th of 412 teams. The 60-point output tonight was nearly 30 points below the Owls' season average.
- After shooting 26-for-50 in the first two NCAA games from three, the Owls were only 6-of-24 from deep tonight (25 percent).
- Keene State outrebounded Guilford 37-33, but in addition to being outscored 26-11 off turnovers and 12-6 in transition, they also lost the bench scoring battle 16-9.
- Four of KSC's five starters had at least four turnovers.
Inside the Paint
- Keene State's season is over in abrupt fashion. They will graduate Hunter, Alonzo Linton, and student assistant coach Nicholas Napolitano, but will look to add talent to the remainder of the group and make another run in 2024-2025. KSC has made the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2017 and the Sweet 16 in 2007, 2016, and 2023. They have made nine NCAA appearances overall.
- Guilford hosts defending national champion and No. 23 Christopher Newport University tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) at 7:15 p.m. with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Quakers are making their seventh NCAA appearance and have made the most of them, going 18-6 (including this year) while making the Final Four in 2009 (lost to Washington University-St. Louis 77-58) and 2010 (lost to Williams College 97-88), and the Elite Eight in 2007, 2017, and now 2024. CNU punched their ticket to the Elite Eight this year by beating Williams 60-49 in the day's first game. The Ephs shot just 27.5 percent and turned the ball over 16 times in the loss.