Keene State Stays Perfect Behind Five Double-Digit Scorers

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.--Stout defense and timely shooting gave the Keene State College men's basketball team an 86-77 win over Middlebury College at Pepin Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.   It was the 100th career coaching victory for Keene State head coach Ryan Cain.

Records

• Keene State: 3-0
• Middlebury: 1-1

How It Happened
Mason Jean-Baptiste scored 19 of his 21 points after halftime, leading five KSC players in double-figures as the Owls led the entirety of the second half.  Keene State forced 18 turnovers and committed just four, negating a 36-22 rebounding edge for the Panthers

James Anozie made his first start of the season and had 16 points with eight rebounds, while Octavio Brito had 15 points, Nate Siow added 11, and Jordan Santos came off the bench to make four of six three point attempts for 12 points.

The Owls fell behind 12-4 before a pair of threes from Santos clawed them back within four at the 13:01 mark.  The teams stayed within three points of each other before the Owls stretched their advantage to 38-30 on Siow's layup with 55 seconds to go in the frame; Middlebury's Sam Stevens trimmed the gap to three with a three point bucket with 16 seconds to go to make it a 38-35 game at halftime.

Keene State roared out of the gates to start the second half, opening the stanza on a 10-1 run capped by a three from Jean-Baptiste from the left wing with less than four minutes gone.  Middlebury kept trying to pull back, but the Owls had an answer every time, including another three from Santos that restored the lead to 62-51 after the Panthers had moved within six points on a three pointer from Charley Moore.
 

After Anozie scored down low to for a 74-66 lead, the Panthers scored the next six, slicing the gap to two with 1:36 remaining, but Siow knifed through the lane for a layup that made it 76-72, and after another Middlebury turnover on the next possession, Santos buried yet another triple, this one from the corner, for a seven point lead with 50 seconds to go.   The Owls iced the game by making five of six free throws in the last 28 seconds, and Brito put the exclamation point on the win with a steal and breakaway slam as the seconds ticked away.

Middlebury big man Alex Sobel, who netted 30 points with 17 rebounds in the Panthers' season opening win against Wentworth, had another 21 points and 15 boards while blocking six shots.  Stevens added 17 points and Noah Osher had 16 and five assists, but seven of the Panther turnovers.

Inside the Paint

• Jean Baptiste has certainly added three point shooting to his arsenal; after making 22 threes in nine games in an abbreviated freshman campaign, he has already made 11 in the first three games of his sophomore year.  
• Cain becomes the fourth coach in program history to win at least 100 games.  Rob Colbert, who coached at KSC from 1999-2015, is the program's all-time leader in wins with 284.  Glenn Theulen won 210 games from 1968-1984, and Sumner Joyce won 191 contests from 1946-1966.  With a career record of 100-57 (.637), Cain and Colbert are nearly neck-and-neck for the all-time win percentage mark.  Colbert was 284-159 (.641) during his tenure.
• Keene State is 6-7 all-time against Middlebury, but has won the last two on the road, and is 3-3 overall at Pepin Gymniasum.

Up Next

• Keene State returns home for a non-conference date with Springfield College on November 20 at 7:00 p.m.
• The Panthers take the court on Friday, November 19 against Anna Maria College at the Bridgewater State Cave Classic.   Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.