NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Ty Nichols went 14-of-15 from the free throw line, becoming the Keene State College men's basketball team's new all-time leader in that category, while scoring a new career-high 42 points as the Owls took down Albertus Magnus College 105-96 in overtime at The Nest on Tuesday night.

Records

• Keene State:  2-1
• Albertus Magnus:  3-2

How It Happened

Nichols' effort also featured a 13-of-26 showing from the field, as he became the first Owl to score more than 40 points since Derek D'Amours in 2010.  James Anozie added a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Sidi Diallo made 8-of-11 shots en route to scoring 16 points.  Albertus Magnus placed four in double figures, led by Jahrell Spence's 15 points off the bench.  Jahmerikah Green-Younger had 14 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Nichols had a three-point play and a jumper early as the Owls led 7-2 less than three minutes in.  The Falcons answered, going ahead for the first time on Davon Warner's three (10-9) before later extending their lead to 18-11 at the 12:02 mark.  Ryan Pittman's basket and free throw halfway through the half gave Albertus their largest lead of the contest at 23-15.  The Falcons led for much of the remainder of the period, but Paul Mahon's triple tied the game at 29 with 5:40 to go.  Consecutive layups from Ben Olson briefly put KSC ahead (35-34), but Warner made a pair of triples on the next two possessions as Albertus went back ahead by five.  KSC got within one on two Nichols free throws at the 1:45 mark, but settled for a 42-39 halftime deficit.

A three from Pittman in the early stages of the second half restored a 48-41 lead for the home team, but the Owls chipped away from there, eventually finishing a 15-7 burst with a layup from Diallo and a triple from Nichols that put KSC back in front (56-55) at the 13:58 mark.  It was a back-and-forth battle from there, but Keene State began gaining separation midway through the stanza when Jordan Haywood canned a three, Anozie converted inside and Diallo flushed home a dunk for a 69-61 lead with 10:14 to go.  KSC continued to have the upper hand, and appeared to be in control with a little over five minutes remaining after Nichols and Diallo made jumpers to spread the lead back to 81-72 after the Falcons had gotten within four, but they had a hard time landing the final blow.  Green-Younger made a three and Rayshawn Brewer two foul shots to make it an 82-80 game with 3:06 left.  KSC went back up five after Nichols' three-point play on the next possession, and still led 89-85 after Anozie's inside bucket with 49 seconds left.  Albertus Magnus got a quick layup from Pittman to stay in it and, after the Owls missed two free throws, tied the game when Green-Younger sank two to make it 89-89 with 11 seconds left.  Nichols missed a jumper that would have won it in regulation.

Keene State was a runaway winner in overtime, as they scored the first ten points and cruised from there.  Diallo opened the scoring with a layup, and the Owls extended the lead by continuing to attack the basket, as Mahon made two buckets and Nichols one for a 99-89 lead with 1:51 on the clock.  The Falcons never threatened again, as KSC made 6-of-8 from the field in the extra session and all four free throws, leading by a game-high 11 in the final minute (105-94).

Inside the Paint

• Nichols has made 407 free throws in his career, surpassing Darrell Long '89 (400) on the all-time KSC list.  Nichols is also one of only five active Division III players to surpass 1,600 career points.  His previous single-game career high was a 32-point effort in a 2017 NCAA Tournament win at No. 5 Ramapo College.
• KSC improved to 2-0 against Albertus Mangus all-time, having defeated them 78-67 last year in Keene.  AMC, who was playing their home opener, had been 28-2 in their last 30 home games.
• The Owls forced 22 turnovers and had a 25-13 edge in points off miscues.  Keene State had just 15 turnovers, including only four in the second half and overtime.

Up Next

• Keene State has a quick turnaround after Thanksgiving, as they host No. 5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday, November 24 at 1:00 pm.
• Albertus Magnus stays home to take on Mitchell College on Sunday, November 25 at 3:00 pm.