PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Led by a potent offensive attack, the Keene State College men's basketball team celebrated a successful return to the court in their first non-exhibition action since last February, as they flipped around an early 14-point deficit to dominate Rhode Island College 102-82 in Little East Conference action at The Murray Center Saturday afternoon.

Records

• Keene State:  1-0, 1-0 LEC
• Rhode Island College:  0-1, 0-1 LEC

How It Happened
Keene State got a big performance from Jeff Hunter, as he started his sophomore campaign by pouring in 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting while also grabbing 14 rebounds.  Freshman Mason Jean Baptiste made 4-of-6 from long range and scored 16 points in his collegiate debut.  Classmate Nate Siow finished with 14 points and six rebounds.  The Owls shot 51 percent (41-for-81) from the field and racked up 21 assists as a team, with five coming from Jeric Cichon.  Dante Law led Rhode Island College with 22 points.  Shion Darby had 19 points, but on 6-for-19 shooting.  The Anchormen were held to 36 percent shooting as a team.
 
The Owls had their way both inside and out in the opening half, as they made 14-of-23 from inside the three-point line and 6-of-12 from behind it, enabling them to wipe away an early 14-point deficit with ease.  After Rhode Island College went on a 23-8 burst to build a 31-17 edge with 10:53 left, it was all Owls from there, more or less for the rest of the game.  The Anchormen double-digit lead was erased in less than five minutes, as threes by Hunter and DeVon Beasley put KSC ahead 37-36 with 5:45 left until the break.  Driving to the basket then helped the Owls build on their advantage, as layups by Cichon and Siow made it a nine-point game two minutes later.
 
KSC wasted no time widening their 50-43 halftime lead to double-digits in the second half, as James Anozie and Hunter accounted for all the points in an 8-0 run, capped by Hunter's slam off a nice pass from Jean Baptiste that made it a 15-point lead with 16:32 left.  Rhode Island College never got closer than 14 after that as the Owls cruised.  Beasley's coast-to-coast layup bumped the Owl lead to 69-47 with a little over 12 minutes to go, and despite eight points in a row for the Anchormen after that, Keene State quickly answered back with a pair of triples by Beasley and Jaylen Franklin for a 75-55 edge halfway through the period.  The Owls led by a game-high 24 points several times in the final five minutes. 

Inside the Paint

• Hunter has been a force against the Anchormen in his brief career, having piled up 67 points on 28-of-40 (70%) shooting and 33 rebounds in three matchups.
• Keene State is 11-2 in the past 13 head-to-head matchups with RIC, a run that started with a 75-57 win in the 2015 Little East tournament title game.
• KSC racked up 60 points in the paint (RIC 40) and had a 62-45 advantage on the glass.
• Head coach Ryan Cain, beginning his sixth season, needs eight more wins to reach 100 for his career with the Owls.
• The game saw eight Owls make their debuts:  Jean Baptiste, Siow, Tyler Dill, Justin Williams, Jordan Santos, Lyndon Prayer, Shawn Scott, and Spencer Dragone.

Up Next

• Keene State hosts Castleton University (0-1, 0-1 LEC) at Spaulding Gymnasium on Wednesday, January 27 at 6:00 p.m.  The game can be viewed on the Owls Media Network.
• Rhode Island College stays home to take on UMass-Dartmouth (1-0, 1-0 LEC) on the same night at 6:30 p.m.