MAHWAH, N.J.--Ty Nichols' pullup three with 2.5 seconds left gave the Keene State College men's basketball team a 69-66 win over Amherst College in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament at the Bradley Center on the campus of Ramapo College on Friday night.

Records

• Keene State: 20-9
• Amherst: 17-8

Quotables

• "I think we didn't panic and got to make the last play.  We had worked on it in practice this week and said that if we got the last shot we were just going to let it flow, and it went in.  It was a nice look for Ty, that's his shot." -- Head Coach Ryan Cain
• "We're going to take it one day at a time, one walkthrough at a time, one game at a time.  Our goal is to get back to the Sweet 16." -- Sophomore Ty Nichols 

How it Happened

It was the first meeting between the two schools for 18 years, but it won't soon be forgotten.  After Amherst's Jayde Dawson missed a 10 footer, Matt Ozzella grabbed the rebound and found Nichols, who dribbled the length of the floor before swishing a three pointer from the left wing that gave the Owls the lead for good.  Amherst could not get a shot off as time expired.

The three gave Nichols the last of his 19 points, along with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.  Senior forward Matt Ozzella led all players with 20 points and 16 rebounds, adding in two blocked shots, and Jeff Lunn had 13 points and seven boards.  

Dawson led Amherst with 19 points, but only four came after halftime.  Amherst's second leading scorer, Johnny McCarthy, managed just five points on 2-for-6 shooting.  Michael Riopel had 16 points for Amherst, and Eric Conklin had 13.

In a game where neither team led by more than six, Keene State hung with the Purple and White, taking an 11-9 lead on a pair of free throws by Lucas Hammel.  Dawson took over midway through the second half, scoring nine straight points by himself to give Amherst a 25-22 lead, and Amherst looked to pull away late in the frame when Diego Magana made consecutive threes for a 31-25 advantage.

Nichols found Jake Collagan for a quick transitition three, then put KSC up 32-31 with a layup.  Conklin responded with a hoop with seven seconds left in the half, but Nichols took the inbounds pass and knocked down a three just ahead of the first half buzzer for a 35-33 KSC lead at halftime.

Amherst opened the second half on an 8-2 run, taking a 41-37 lead on Dawson's jumper.  Riopel sank a three for a 48-44 lead with 12:15 remaining, only to see Nichols convert a three point play on the next KSC possession.

Everytime Amherst tried to pull away, the Owls came right back.  Layups from Conklin and Dawson gave Amherst a 56-51 lead, but Ozzella netted five straight on his own, including a three point play with 7:26 to go that knotted the score at 56.  The senior then swatted away Reid Berman's effort, and scored again with 5:49 lead for the first KSC lead of the half. 

The teams continued to trade baskets, as Amherst tied the game at 61 on a three pointer from Riopel.  McCarthy's dunk and a free throw from Riopel gave Amherst a 64-61 lead, but again KSC responded, getting a free throw from Ozzella and two more from Hammel to knot the score again.  Conklin's jumper and two more Hammel free throws tied the score at 66, and Amherst had three bites at the cherry before Nichols' heroics vaulted the Owls into the second round.

In the Paint

• The win gave KSC 20 wins on the year for the third consecutive season.  
• The Owls continue their habit of being a tough out in the tournament; only once in five NCAA tournament appearances has KSC not won at least one game.
• Keene State improved to 3-0 on neutral floors this year.  The 69 points were the fewest scored in a win for the Owls this season.  
• Keene State went 24-for-29 from the line (82.8%), the best performance by the team this year with at least 20 free throws made.

Up Next 

• Keene State will play either Ramapo or Misericordia in the second round, with the winner moving on to the Sweet 16.
• Amherst sees its season come to an end.