WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – In the rubber match between Little East Conference rivals for a chance to face off against top-seeded UMass Dartmouth (24-3) in the Little East Conference Championship on Saturday, Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball took on Keene State College at Geissler Gymnasium on Thursday night. Missing their leading scorer in senior guard Tyreice Woods (Hartford), the Warriors (18-8) were unable to keep pace with the high-flying Owls (19-6), dropping the LEC Semifinals match, 79-56.
Keene State would lead wire to wire, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes before junior guard Meikyle Murray (Bronx, NY) scored the first Eastern basket of the evening. Murray would open the game with the first six points for the Warriors who overcame the slow start to pull back within three, 9-6, with 13:57 remaining.
The Owls responded with a 10-2 run spearheaded by sophomore guard Nate Siow and senior guard Jeric Cichon to take a 11-point advantage, 19-8, their first double-digit lead of the game. In response junior guard Jalen Williams (Simsbury) used a pair of free throws and Murray an electric dunk along with a three as part of a 7-0 run to trail by just four, 19-15, with 8:03 left.
Trailing by as many as 12 points with 5:56 left in the first half, the Warriors used a late first half surge with four points from sophomore guard Max Lee (Norwich), three points from Williams, and two points from junior forward Rakesh Tibby (East Hartford) and Murray, getting Eastern back into striking distance, 35-28, heading into halftime.
After Williams opened the second half with a jumper to cut the Warrior deficit to five, the closest Eastern would be able to draw was nine points with 11:23 remaining in regulation, 54-45. Over the next five minutes, Keene State would embark on a 22-5 run, opening up a 26-point lead with 3:36 left, 76-50, en route to their 23-point victory.
The Owls will head to University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon to face off against top-seeded UMass Dartmouth who defeated four-seeded Plymouth State University (15-12), 98-86, earlier in the evening. The Corsairs were ranked first in the Little East Conference Men's Basketball preseason poll with Keene State right behind them in second.
After missing the previous matchup at Geissler Gymnasium, senior forward James Anozie finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points (6-of-14 shooting) and gathered 11 rebounds in the game. Junior forward Jeff Hunter also recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points and collecting 11 rebounds.
First-year guard Octavio Brito led the Owls with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Since transferring in January, Meikyle Murray appeared in 12 games (six starts), scoring an average of 18.3 points per game, including a 23-point performance on Thursday night. Murray led the team in scoring during their final six games of the season and recorded 17 blocks, including seven in the final four games.
Close behind him was Jalen Williams, who appeared in and started 14 games for Eastern in the second half of the season with 17.5 points per game. Williams finished the game with 14 points in 36 minutes played.
First-year forward Sheriff Bilewu (Waterbury) scored the first points of his collegiate career in the second half with 51 seconds left. Bilewu appeared in four games off the bench for the Warriors this season.