BOSTON, Mass. – With big performances from Michael Campbell (Boston, Mass.), Maurice Magras (Medford, Mass.), and Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.), UMass Boston handed Keene State College their first loss of the season in a 77-70 Little East Conference match-up Saturday afternoon in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 77, Keene State College 70
UMass Boston (5-5, 1-1 Little East Conference)
Keene State College (6-1, 1-1 Little East Conference)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Led by Campbell's 26 points and 13 rebounds, the Beacons came up with a big win against the previously undefeated Owls, as they now have won two-straight over Keene State, for the first time since 2006.
The senior was 10-for-21 from the field and 6-for-11 at the line, as he came off the bench to finish with a combined 37 minutes of playing time.
Despite the close scores throughout Saturday's contest, the Beacons never once trailed the Owls. The turning point of the game, came when junior forward Kevin Louis-Jean (Hyde Park, Mass.) hit a huge lay-up with 5:30 left in the second half. Keene State would cut the deficit to one, but with back-to-back baskets by Campbell, UMass pushed their lead to five (65-60) with just over four minutes to play.
Nate Stitchell would then nail a 3-pointer to make it a one possession game, and with a lay-up by Ty Nichols the two teams were deadlocked at 65-65 with 2:09 left in regulation.
However the Beacons would put together a 6-0 run, which included a game-clinching 3-pointer by Magras. After Magras long ball hit its mark, Powers did the rest of the work at the free throw line, as he gave UMass and eight point lead, as he went a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Quadry Allen (White Castle, La.) added a pair of free throws as well in the closing seconds to help hand the Owls their first loss of the year.
Defensively, the Beacons held Keene State well below their season average of over 92 points per game, as they also forced a combined 18 turnovers as well.
Magras finished with 16 points in the victory, as the Medford native was 6-for-19 from the field, and 3-for-5 at the line. Powers was just as efficient, dropping in 13 points, to go along with 12 rebounds. He would finish 8-for-10 at the line, and also had a pair of field goals.
On the glass UMass held a 43-41 advantage of the Owls. Nate Howard grabbed 11 boards and had 14 points to finish with the teams only double-double.
For Keene State, junior guard Lucas Hammel led the team his squad with 18 points.
BY THE NUMBERS
- UMass Boston held the Owls to 11 offensive rebounds and 70 points
- The last time the Beacons earned back-to-back wins over the Owls on their home floor was on February 2, 1982 and January 31, 1983
- Coming into the contest the Owls led all of New England, and the Little East with 96.7 points per game.
- Saturday's win marked the first conference win for head coach Jason Harris, who played for LEC opponent Rhode Island College
WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston hosts Tufts University on January 5th at 7 pm