KSC Puts Up Highest Point Total in Four Years to Rebound From Surprising Loss

KEENE, N.H. – Sophomore Mason Jean Baptiste poured in a new career-best 25 points and junior Jeff Hunter added 20 to help the Keene State College men's basketball team shoot a staggering 72 percent in a 64-point second half as they gashed Rhode Island College 108-83 in a Little East Conference contest Friday night at Spaulding Gymnasium.

Records

• Keene State:  14-3, 9-1 LEC
• Rhode Island College:  12-6, 5-5 LEC

How It Happened
The Owls were in a flow offensively throughout their 14th win in 17 games this season as 11 different people scored, but none more than in the final 20 minutes when they made 26-of-36 shots from the floor including 8-of-16 (50 percent) from three-point range to dominate the Anchormen again, turning what was a 44-39 game at halftime into a runaway.  KSC has won 14 of the last 16 head-to-head meetings, seven in a row at Spaulding Gymnasium in the series, and has now scored at least 102 points in three of the last four games against RIC.  In the game they did not, they scored 99.  In the two-game season slate this season against the Anchormen, Keene State made 84 of their 133 shots from the floor (63 percent) and handed out 67 assists (+40 A/TO ratio) while dealing them two of their three most lopsided losses.  Rhode Island College trailed by as many as 31 points tonight, their largest deficit of the season, and was outscored 60-38 in the paint and 27-7 off turnovers.

The Anchormen did hang around early, as they answered Max Bonney-Liles' opening trey with an 8-0 burst in 2:20 to go in front 8-3 at the 16:15 mark before KSC scored on eight of their next nine possessions to take an 18-15 lead with 12:51 left in the first half.  The Owls then allowed five in a row to fall behind, but eventually hit the Anchormen with an 11-0 punch to turn a 21-20 deficit into a double-digit lead (31-21) as Nate Siow ran off seven points in that span which kicked off with a three by Jean Baptiste.  Unlike the first matchup that was decided early when Keene State piled on and led 40-17 in the first half, Rhode Island College hit back this time for the moment, running off nine in a row in barely over two minutes to get back within one and they stayed within five at halftime (44-39) behind 10 points from Keyshaun Jacobs and eight points and five rebounds from Damian Tucker.  It was a 41-39 game with a minute left and RIC had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead, but Dahsan King missed a jumper and Siow found Jordan Santos for a triple in the final seconds to give the Owls a bit of momentum heading into the half.

That end of the half shot seemed to be a bit of momentum at the time, but it cascaded into an avalanche quickly in the second half as Hunter started with a dunk, a steal, and a layup within the first 46 seconds to make it 48-39, and KSC's lead reached double-figures (57-46) with 15:16 to go after a bucket by Jean Baptiste and another Hunter flush.  The Owls were off and running at that point, later making triples on three consecutive possessions from three different players (Jeric Cichon, Octavio Brito, Jean Baptiste) to make it 66-50 with 13:35 left.  Rhode Island College was never closer than 12 after that, and once Jordan Riley's dunk that made it 70-58 at the 10:28 mark, KSC put up 11 of the next 12 to pump the lead to 81-59.  The Owls never did stop scoring, and because of that the lead continue to grow and grow.  A four-point play from Jean Baptiste, who surpassed his earlier career scoring mark by one, made it a 25-point game (89-64) with 5:10 left before Siow and Cichon attacked the basket to make it 93-66.  Edwin Ezedonmwen, who appeared in his first contest of the season last Saturday at the University of Southern Maine, buried consecutive threes on two straight offensive trips for KSC to balloon the lead to a game-high 31 (99-68) at the 2:50 mark.  Behind the spirited and energetic play late from Tyler Dill, who made a start today in a reconfigured KSC lineup, the Owls wound up scoring their most points in a game as a team since a 112-61 win over the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on January 13, 2018.

Jean Baptiste shot 9-for-19 from the floor in the game and added six rebounds while Hunter finished with a 9-for-12 shooting effort, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks.  Nate Siow had 13 points (6-10 FG), eight assists, and two steals.

RIC finished with five players in double-figures, but it was not nearly enough.  The league's top two scorers entering today, Keyshaun Jacobs (7-13 FG, 17 points) and Shion Darby (6-10 FG, 14 pts.) scored a combined 31 points but were forced into nine turnovers between them.  Damian Tucker also scored 17.

Inside the Paint

• Hunter continues to completely haunt the Anchormen, now averaging 23.5 points per game (141 total) on 73 percent shooting (58-79 FG) in six all-time matchups.  His 63 percent shooting overall this season and 18.3 points per game average would both be career-high marks.
• In the second half, KSC had nine more assists (19) than field goals missed (10).  They had only three turnovers.
• The Owls lead the all-time series vs. RIC 32-27 including 14-2 since winning the 2015 Little East Championship game against them.

Up Next

• This win sets up a seemingly very important league contest for KSC to close a four-game homestand against UMass-Dartmouth (14-2, 6-1 LEC) on Monday night (January 31) at 6:00 p.m.  The Owls lead the Corsairs by a game and a half in the standings but are even in the loss column (UMD has played three fewer games).  KSC would hope to avenge a lopsided loss in last year's LEC championship game by expanding their first place lead this season.
• Rhode Island College comes back to New Hampshire to take on Plymouth State University (8-9, 3-5 LEC) on the same night at 7:30 p.m.  The Panthers lost 69-63 at UMass-Boston tonight.