WESTFIELD, Mass. – Team captains Jeff Hunter and Octavio Brito each scored 22 points, combining for 44 overall while also grabbing 18 rebounds as the Keene State College men's basketball team opened an 11-point lead less than seven minutes into the game and cruised to an 86-71 victory over preseason MASCAC favorite Westfield State University at the Woodward Center in the season opener for both teams Tuesday night.

Records

• Keene State:  1-0
• Westfield State:  0-1

Quotable
"It was a nice way to start the year, going on the road against a very good team who was picked in the preseason poll to win their league.  Not surprising that in the first game there were some good things and a lot of things we can work on, but that was one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country last year, so we are pleased to limit them to five offensive rebound and win the rebounding margin.  Let's pack Spaulding for the home opener Friday night!" – Keene State head coach Ryan Cain

How It Happened
KSC, who is coming off an LEC tournament championship and NCAA tournament second round appearance last season, shot a sizzling 55 percent and made 10-of-19 (53 percent) from long range in the opening half as they opened a 55-34 halftime edge that did not drop below 20 until 6:51 remained and was never below 13 at any point in the final 20 minutes.  The Owls ballooned the gap to as many as 28 (68-40) at the 13:38 mark, hitting Westfield with a 13-6 burst out of the locker room to perhaps wring out any hope the home Owls might have been able to generate after the break.  Hunter made eight of 10 shots from the floor and added nine rebounds to his ledger, while Brito shot 9-of-19 and made 4-of-9 from deep while also just barely missing his own double-double with nine boards.  Keene State also got significant contributions from Endicott College transfer Spencer Aronson, who scored 15 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting.  He was 4-of-6 in the opening 20 minutes, helping his team sprint out to the double-digit lead.  Junior Mason Jean Baptiste, a 37 percent career three-point shooter in 36 games, tossed in an efficient 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-4 3-PT) with four steals and three assists as KSC finished with four double-digit scorers.  KSC dominated the glass 46-30, including 18-5 on the offensive end.

Westfield was paced by 12 points by Jeremy Remigio (3-7 FG, 5-8 FT), but he was the lone double-figure scorer.  Joseph Meade added eight points while Kuany Teng, Lance Lennon, and Timmy Jacobus each had seven.  The home Owls were minus-18 on the glass after being outrebounded just five times in their 27 games a season ago.  WSU finished 22-5 in 2021-2022, including 12-2 at home, and convincingly won the MASCAC with two wins by a combined 36 points in the league tournament before falling at host Nazareth College by seven (78-71) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Keene State did not waste any time taking control on the opening night of the Division III calendar, as Brito – last year's Little East Conference Rookie of the Year – scored five points within 31 seconds early in the first half to put his team in front, ultimately to stay after they faced their lone deficit of the game at 3-0.  The advantage mostly only steadily grew from there, as a dunk from Brito and trey from Jean Baptiste helped put KSC up 15-7 at the 4:59 mark.  Another triple for Brito and a layup from Jean Baptiste made it a 20-9 game just 6:30 in.  Hunter poured in eight points in less than two minutes a short time later to put his team in front by 14 (28-14).  Westfield trimmed six off their deficit to twice get within eight, including 30-22 with 7:13 left until halftime, but triples from Liam Johnston and Brito on consecutive possessions immediately pushed the edge right back to 14 again.  The Owls kept firing from deep, with Jean Baptiste connecting with 5:09 to go to make it 39-25 and then Aronson on back-to-back trips for a 45-27 lead with 3:53 left.   He then did that again only minutes later to put KSC in firm control, up 53-30 at the 1:38 mark.  Nate Siow cut to the basket on the Owls' final possession for a 21-point halftime lead, one that was never in jeopardy.

Brito came out of the locker room still hot, connecting for a three 23 seconds in, and Jean Baptiste kept his hand hot as well, making it 63-36 with 16:43 left.  Trailing 71-44 about four minutes later and 75-49 after a Hunter jumper with a little more than 10 minutes to go, KSC did endure a relatively cold-shooting finish, but they had done more than enough up until that point to build a cushion.  Three Westfield layups in a four possession span helped shrink a 77-52 deficit to 19, which eventually was trimmed as far as 78-65 with 3:40 to go, but Aronson immediately drained a dagger three on KSC's next possession, and Brito followed with another dunk on the next trip as the Owls began a season of high expectations 1-0.

Keene State shot 45 percent (33-for-73) from the floor in the contest and 13-of-29 from three-point range, outscoring Westfield 39-12 from deep.  WSU shot 46 percent (26-for-56) and 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Inside the Paint

• KSC had a 16/14 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Westfield had 12 helpers and 13 miscues.  Despite just a one turnover differential, Keene held a 22-10 edge in points off turnovers.
• Despite being located less than an hour and a half (and 80 miles) away, it was the first ever meeting between the two programs.
• Aronson, Johnston, Mike Carothers, Gabe Bristow, and Nick Garrison all made their Owl debuts tonight.
• Cain began his eighth season behind the Owls' bench.
• Keene State was receiving votes in the d3hoops.com Top 25 preseason poll.

Up Next

• Keene State opens their home schedule with another first-time opponent, Rutgers University-Newark (20-9, 13-5 NJAC in 2021-2022), on Friday, November 11.  Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.  Tickets can be purchased here.  The program will be honoring the 2015-2016 Sweet 16 and 2016-2017 Elite Eight teams with a banner ceremony that evening.
• Westfield State takes on Kean University (1-0) on the same night (5:00 p.m.) in the first game of the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament hosted by the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.  The other game sees host UMD, who KSC beat in last year's LEC championship game, play Connecticut College.