Keene State Defeats Trinity In Women's Basketball

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Hartford, Conn. – Senior forward Courtney Cirillo (Windsor Locks, Conn.) had 17 points, three assists, and four steals and made all 12 of her free throws to lead the visiting Keene State College Owls to a 74-69 win over the Trinity College Bantams in women's basketball action on Ogrodnik Court at Oosting Gymnasium this evening. Trinity, playing in its home opener, falls to 1-2 with its second straight loss, while the Owls improve to 4-0.

Keene State raced out of the gate, scoring seven of the game's first nine points, and took a 20-6 lead at the 11:34 mark on a jumper by senior guard Sara Laudano (North Haven, Conn.). Trinity used a 14-2 run to cut the lead to 22-20 with just under seven minutes remaining, but the Owls scored the next five points, and went on to a 33-29 lead at the break. Owl senior forward Meghan Farrell (Chester, Vt.) had 11 of her 13 points in the opening stanza, and Keene State made 11 of 12 shots from the foul line. Bantam sophomore center Emily Dixon (Norwood, Mass.) led a balanced Trinity offense with nine first-half-points.

Trinity tied the game for the first time at 37-37 on a three-pointer from the left wing by junior forward Heather Lyhne (Wethersfield, Conn.) with 16:52 on the clock, but the Owls answered with a 13-0 run that included seven points by Cirillo. A steal and layup by Bantam senior tri-captain guard Kaitlin Ciarleglio (Waterbury, Conn.) pulled Trinity within four points at 63-59 at the six-minute mark, and senior tri-captain guard Michelle Royals (Torrington, Conn.) drove to the basket to make it a one-possession game at 70-67 in Keene State's favor with 30 seconds left to play. Cirillo made four clutch free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Trinity shot 7-for-13 from long range in the second half compared to 2-for-11 in the first half, as Royals and sophomore guard Abby Hancock (Casco, Maine) each drained three from downtown. Royals paced the home team with 17 points and added four assists, and four steals, while Hancock, Lyhne, Dixon, and junior guard Carly Napier (Pittsford, N.Y.) scored 11 points apiece, and Napier also dished out five assists.

Laudano had 14 points and four rebounds, while freshman forward Sarah Phelan (Northbridge, Mass.) added 11 points and six rebounds, and fellow rookie forward Courtney Roberts (Sutton, Mass.) grabbed a game-high seven boards for the Owls. Keene State made 27 out of 30 shots from the foul line and outrebounded Trinity, 38-22.