NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Keene State men's basketball team had by far their best offensive performance on the young season, shooting 62.5% overall and 68% from three-point range in a 100-88 victory over Colby-Sawyer College on Thursday evening at Coffin Field House.

Records

• Keene State: 4-2
• Colby-Sawyer: 2-2

How It Happened

Keene State put five in double-figures while cracking the century mark for the first time since last November. Ty Nichols scored 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor (3-of-4 from three) and added six rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks. Sidi Diallo and DeVon Beasley each had the best offensive performances of their young careers. Diallo poured in 21 points, making 5-of-7 triples, to go along with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Beasley made 6-of-7 shots from the field, including all four from long distance while racking up 16 points. Dizel Wright (14) and James Anozie (11) rounded out the double-figure scorers.

Taylor Grande led Colby-Sawyer with 24 points, making six threes in the process. He added six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Patrick Coffey had 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dana Bean recorded 12 points, three rebounds and an assist for the Chargers, who were playing their first home game of the season.

Both offenses were firing early and neither team could gain any separation. A three from Grande put Colby-Sawyer up 8-7, but Diallo responded immediately with a triple of his own and Nichols laid one in for a 12-8 lead just over three minutes in. The Chargers tied the game at 14 after two free throws from Bean, but Keene State took off from there, scoring the next 14 consecutive points to lead 28-14 with 11:30 left in the first half. Colby-Sawyer did not go away, quickly answering over the next four minutes with a 16-5 spurt of their own to trim the deficit to three (33-30). The rest of the half was tightly contested. Coffey's jumper at the 2:17 mark tied the game at 43, but Wright took over from there, scoring eight points in the last two minutes of the half. His triple in the final ten seconds provided KSC with a 52-46 halftime advantage.

The Owls quickly assumed control of the game in the second half, embarking on an 18-4 surge over the first six and a half minutes to open up a 20-point advantage (70-50). KSC canned three triples during that stretch, including two from Diallo. Colby-Sawyer got a three from Grande to trim their deficit to 74-59, but Beasley immediately answered with one of his own halfway through the second stanza. Nichols canned a jumper and made two free throws in consecutive possessions to bump the Owls' lead back up to 20 (83-63) with 7:36 to go. The Chargers made one last surge, scoring ten straight points to cut the deficit in half with 5:21 left, but Diallo and Nichols each made a shot from deep to put the Owls up 89-73 with four minutes to go. Keene State mostly cruised from there, hitting several free throws down the stretch. The final one, the first collegiate point for sophomore center Douglas Jackson, allowed them to crack the century mark for the first time since last November, a 107-84 home win over Springfield.

Inside the Paint

• Keene State made 35-of-56 shots from the field and 13-of-19 from three point range in its best offensive showing in quite some time. The Owls' high watermark last season came in the aforementioned Springfield game, where they shot 59.7% (37-of-62) from the floor. KSC shot 50% or above from deep three times last year, including when they made 13-of-26 against Fitchburg State.
• Keene State had not scored more than 73 points in any game prior this one and had made 17 threes total on the season before making 13 in this game alone.
• Colby-Sawyer won the rebounding battle 39-26, including 20 off the offensive glass that led to a 29-6 advantage in second chance points. However, Keene State did dominate the paint, outscoring the Chargers 44-20. KSC also took advantage of fastbreaks, outscoring CSC 14-0.
• The Owls won for the ninth consecutive time against Colby-Sawyer. The two teams last played in January of 2016 at Spaulding Gym, where the Owls rolled 89-53.

Up Next

• Keene State returns home for three consecutive games before the semester break, beginning with their Little East Conference opener against UMass Boston on Saturday, December 2 at 3:00 pm.
• Colby-Sawyer opens North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play with a visit to Green Mountain, also on Saturday at 3:00.