KEENE, N.H.--A career high 21 points from senior Lucas Hammel and solid free throw shooting gave the No. 13 Keene State College men's basketball team a 76-66 win over Trinity College (Conn.) on Wednesday night at Spaulding Gym.

Records

• Keene State: 5-0
• Trinity (Conn.): 1-3

Quotable

• "I felt good tonight; anytime you get a career high in points it's because your teammates are getting you the ball, and my guys did that tonight.  We knew Trinity was going to be a test, they're strong and physical.  I just love our team and our mental toughness." -- Senior Lucas Hammel
• "You have to be unselfish when you play a team like Trinity to get shots, and I thought we did that tonight.  Lucas did a good job of drawing contact and making free throws when he got to the line.  Ogundeko is a tremendous player and we guarded him well tonight." -- Head Coach Ryan Cain

Tale of the Tape

• Hammel led all scorers with 21 points, knocking down all three of his field goal attempts and making 14 of 16 free throws.  Ty Nichols had 15, and Dizel Wright and Matt Ozzella chipped in with 10 points apiece.
• Eric Gendron led the Bantams with 17 points, while Nick Seretta added 12 off the bench and Ed Ogundeko had 10 points.  Ogundeko came in averaging 23 points per game, and the Owls also held Chris Turnbull to nine points, 12 below his average for the season.
• Keene State made 30 of 41 free throws (73.2%), and shot 47.7% from the field (21-44).  The teams combined for 66 fouls and 72 free throw attempts.
• The Owls also held a slim 38-33 lead on the boards, led by a game high eight from Ozzella.
• It was the first ever win for Keene State over Trinity, in a matchup of programs that have both been to the NCAA tournament the last two years.  The Bantams reached the Elite Eight in 2015, and were eliminated in the first round last year, while Keene State reached the round of 16 in 2016.

 First Half Highlights

• After Eric Gendron netted the first bucket of the game on a three point attempt, the Owls went on a 9-2 run, as Ozzella knocked down a three pointer and Wright had a fast break layup for a 9-5 lead.
• Hammel put back a miss by Nichols to make it 15-9, but the Bantams closed to 19-17 with 11:56 remaining on Gendron's jumper.  Keene State responded with a 13-3 run, capped by three pointers from Hammel and Damonte Turner for a 32-20 lead.
• Another three from Turner made it 37-22, and Wright converted a three point play with 3:20 to go in the first half that made it 41-27.  
• Jake Collagan and Gendron then traded free throws in the final seconds as KSC led 44-32 at the break.

Second Half Highlights

• The Bantams missed their first four shots of the half, while Turner fed Deonte Vinson for a layup with 16:34 on the clock and a 52-36 lead.  Trinity kept chipping away, getting within eight (53-45) on Langdon Neal's layup at the 12:09 mark.
• Seretta's layup with 10:14 on the clock cut the lead to 57-51, and Gendron canned a three pointer that made it 57-55 with 8:39 to go before Edwards' scoop shot in traffic restored a four point edge.
• Ozzella's jumper from the right elbow gave the Owls a 62-57 lead, beginning an 8-2 run as Nichols sliced through traffic for a pair of baskets and Hammel made a free throw for a 70-59 advantage.
• Hammel then went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 1:16 to salt away the win.

Up Next

• Keene State opens Little East Conference play on December 3 with a trip to UMass Dartmouth in a rematch of the 2016 Little East Conference championship game.  Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
• Trinity heads to Bard  on the same day, beginning at 2 p.m.