DANBURY, Conn. – Junior Jeff Hunter scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 from three) in another team-leading performance, but it was his assist on Max Bonney-Liles' go-ahead three with 30 seconds left that proved to be the difference as the Keene State College men's basketball team escaped with an 81-80 Little East Conference road win over Western Connecticut State University Monday afternoon at Feldman Arena.

Records

• Keene State:  10-2, 5-0 LEC
• Western Connecticut:  7-7, 1-5 LEC

How It Happened
In their closest league game to date, it was not always pretty, but the Owls outscored WestConn 28-16 over the final 12:42 to wipe out an 11-point deficit and remain unbeaten in LEC play.  Keene State led by seven early on (21-14) after a 15-7 burst where they made six of their nine shots from the floor and 3-of-5 from three, but Western Connecticut went on a 23-15 run of their own over the final 8:50 of the opening half to turn a four-point deficit (28-24) into a five-point halftime edge at 47-42.  The home team shot 57 percent (17-for-30) in the opening 20 minutes while also making 4-of-6 from deep and 9-of-10 at the foul line, but KSC stayed in it by making 8-of-20 from long range themselves.  Octavio Brito made three of his five tries and scored 14 points in 15 first half minutes.  After Matthew Turner's basket early in the second half put WestConn up seven again, the Owls seemed to gain some traction by reeling off seven in a row in only 1:19 of game time to tie it at 51.  However, they fell back down the hill again after Kendall Robinson scored five straight for a 56-51 lead that later became a game-high 64-53 gap with 12:56 to go after a pair of three-point plays by Turner and Ahmod Privott in less than two minutes.  In the 13-2 WCSU surge, Keene State missed all seven of their field goal tries, three from three, and committed a pair of turnovers.

That changed quickly, however, as Western's 11-point lead was gone in less than four minutes.  Bonney-Liles fittingly began the Owl uprising he would later punctuate with a trey before KSC forced turnovers on the next two possessions that turned into buckets for Mason Jean Baptiste and Hunter that made it 64-60 with 12:09 remaining.  Privott answered with a three for WestConn, but the Owls kept going, running off 12 of the next 15 points to snatch the lead back (72-70) after a pair of Jordan Santos triples.  KSC got a big lift off the bench from he and Bonney-Liles, who combined for 22 points (11 each) on 8-of-12 shooting (6-of-10 from three), seven rebounds, and two assists.

From there, neither team ever led by more than two points over the final eight minutes.  Western nudged ahead 74-73 at the 6:19 mark on Solomon Silas' layup, but KSC went back in front 78-76 with 2:06 to go after the aforementioned key duo off the bench scored on consecutive possessions.  Ahead by two with the ball with a little over a minute and a half to go, KSC misfired on threes on consecutive trips and WestConn capitalized, taking an 80-78 advantage when Wes Nelson found Robinson for a triple with 48 seconds left.  The Owls did not call a timeout and posted a very quick and important answer, finding Hunter down low who then fired a perfect pass to the corner out of a double-team to Bonney-Liles, who didn't miss while connecting on his third triple of the day for an 81-80 lead.  KSC was still in need of a stop with WestConn more or less being able to hold for the last shot, and they got it, as Robinson dribbled seconds away outside the arc before passing off to Nelson, who came up well short on a deep three.  Keene never did allow Western to get the ball inside the perimeter in the final 30 seconds, and the home team suffered another excruciating league loss.  WCSU has now lost five league games (four at home) by four, six, five, seven, and one.  In Keene State's 28-16 game-ending rush, they shot 61 percent (11-18), made 4-of-10 from three-point range, got eight points apiece from Bonney-Liles and Santos, and held Western to a dismal 4-for-18 (22 percent) effort from the floor while forcing six turnovers in the final 12:56.

Hunter added six rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal for KSC.  Brito finished with 14 points (5-8 FG, 3-6 3-PT) and seven rebounds before fouling out.  Jean Baptiste returned and scored 12.

Robinson paced WestConn with 15 points (5-13 FG, 2-6 3-PT, 3-4 FT) and four rebounds.  Turner added 14 points (5-10 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 3-3 FT) while Jaheim Young had 11 points (4-8 FG, 1-1 3-PT, 2-2 FT) and nine boards.

Inside the Paint

• KSC is 5-0 in league play for the seventh time since joining the Little East in 1997-1998, last coming in 2017-2018.  They also did it in 2006-2007, 2005-2006, 2003-2004, 2001-2002, and 1998-1999.  In each of the last two seasons they started 4-0 before losing their next game.
• The Owls shot 48 percent in the second half (46 percent for the game) and 36 percent from three-point range.  Their 13 triples marked a new season-high.
• Keene State has won eight of 10 against WestConn and is 35-19 overall against them since 1997.

Up Next

• The Owls continue a three-game week, all on the road, by going to Castleton University (5-9, 0-5 LEC) on Wednesday, January 19 for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
• WestConn hopes to end a tough three-game slide on Saturday, January 22 at Plymouth State University (7-5, 2-2 LEC).  Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m.  PSU won for the first time in 16 tries, 83-79, in Danbury earlier this season.