No. 4 Owls Put Four in Double-Figures, Burn Beacons in Transition For Important LEC Win

More news about: Keene State

KSC Improves to 15-0 With Big Game Coming Monday to Start Three-Game Home Week

BOSTON, Mass. – Jeff Hunter and Octavio Brito combined for 34 points on 50 percent shooting Saturday afternoon in an important Little East Conference game for the Keene State College men's basketball team at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.  In other words, much of the same from what they have been doing all season.  When the Owls get double-figure contributions from one, two, and sometimes even three others, they have proven very hard to beat.  Senior guard Jeric Cichon added a season-high 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting and six rebounds while mid-season sophomore transfer Tahmeen Dupree finished with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds, and three steals as KSC snapped the Beacons' eight-game winning streak with a 78-71 victory at the Clark Athletic Center, tightening their grip on first place in the conference about halfway through the league slate.

Records

  • No. 4 Keene State:  15-0, 7-0 LEC
  • UMass-Boston:  12-4, 5-2 LEC

How It Happened
Playing a team right behind them in the LEC for the second consecutive Saturday – this time on the road – Keene State again nabbed a key conference victory.  This time it did not require as much drama, with the Owls coming from 10 points down in the final four minutes thanks to Spencer Aronson's three-point shooting last weekend against Western Connecticut State University.  Instead, this time around, KSC took the lead for good at the 14:38 mark of the first half on a bucket from Hunter and then kept UMass-Boston at a distance for most of the rest of the game.  After the Beacons led 9-6 at the 15:36 mark of the opening half, it was all Owls for the next 11 minutes as they outscored UMB 32-13 to take a game-high 16-point advantage (38-22) with a little over four minutes to go until the break.  Keene State displayed remarkable balance in that span that saw them shoot 63 percent (12-19) from the floor, with Cichon scoring eight, Hunter seven, Dupree seven, and Brito five.  Defensively, they held the Beacons to 6-of-21 from the floor and forced four turnovers.  The Owls initially turned the three-point deficit into a 17-9 lead with 11 consecutive points capped by steals from Dupree on consecutive UMB offensive possessions, one resulting in a layup for Cichon and the other two free throws for himself.  Ike Eluwa snapped the Beacons' drought with a jumper at the 12:47 mark to make it a six-point game, but back came KSC to extend their surge to 17-2 with six more in a row including a three-pointer by Dupree.

"With a few guys out, it was wonderful to have Tahmeen step up and play the way he did on both ends," said Keene State head coach Ryan Cain.  "We have lots of guys who are good enough to play greater roles and he is one of those guys.  With a few more minutes tonight he was very impressive on both ends and made great decisions."

As they did most of the day, UMass-Boston hung around, getting within six (23-17) on a layup from a double-double machine of their own, Malik Lorquet, with 8:32 left in the half.  However, the Owls always responded, with a Nate Siow layup and emphatic Hunter dunk pushing the lead right back to ten a minute later.  Another flush by the Owl big man with 5:34 on the clock put KSC up 34-22, and Cichon and Dupree followed with layups over the ensuing minute and a half to establish a game-high 16-point advantage.  Mason Jean Baptiste scored four points late in the half, including a jumper with 1:57 to that made it 42-27.  Keene State carried a 44-30 lead into the halftime locker room after Cichon went 2-for-2 at the line, and overall held UMass-Boston to 36 percent shooting from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

Behind 31 combined points from Lorquet and Xavier McKenzie (of their team's 41) in the second half, the Beacons still hung around thanks to 52 percent (17-for-33) shooting, but the Owls remained well in command until a last-ditch rally attempt by the home team.  Siow began the second half scoring in the opening minute for a 46-30 edge, and a triple from Brito at the 17:13 mark had KSC in front 50-36.  UMass-Boston got the lead under double-figures four minutes later for the first time in a long time and then to seven (56-49) when Lorquet scored inside with 11:58 remaining to complete a 13-6 push.  However, Hunter answered nine seconds later with a layup and Dupree cut to the hoop for a second-chance bucket on the next Owl possession to quickly make it 60-49 again.  That told the story of most of the rest of the game.  Mariano Rodriguez got an offensive rebound of McKenzie's missed three and scored inside to make it 61-53 with 9:44 to go, but back came Hunter for a jumper off a pass from Brito on the other side.  Brito then scored himself off a Dupree pass on the next trip, and Cichon followed with a terrific finish through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play that made it a 15-point gap again just 1:14 after UMB had gotten within eight.

Cichon, in his season-best effort to this point, came up with some big buckets down the stretch, including going right at Eluwa for a layup that made it 70-59 at the 6:13 mark.  A little over two minutes later, he grabbed an offensive rebound and drained a mid-range jumper with four seconds on the shot clock for a 74-62 lead.  A Hunter reverse finish on KSC's next possession maintained a 12-point edge, but the Owls then missed their next four shots as the closing minutes were rough in patches, with Eluwa bringing UMass-Boston's deficit to 76-69 with 1:11 left.  Siow missed the front end of a one-and-one to give the hosts a chance to get a close as they had been all half with less than a minute left, and they did so after McKenzie was fouled and made two free throws.  KSC then missed two more free throws – a problem that plagued them on the day as they shot only 13-for-26 from the charity stripe including 3-for-10 in the second half – to give UMB a chance to get within one possession.  However, Bobby Joy missed a jumper and Hunter corralled the ball to nab a tough rebound, getting it off to Dupree who capped his best effort as an Owl so far with a transition bucket.  It was fitting end for not only the sophomore guard who is a mid-year transfer from Nichols College and earned the Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year award last season, but also KSC, who burned the Beacons in transition all day, outscoring them 30-10 in that category.

"We have a lot we can work on," said Cain.  "We have not hit our stride in the second semester and a lot of that has to do with our opponents and our league.  We are probably playing better defensively than we have been offensively, but there is plenty we can improve on both ends."

Hunter's 12th double-double of the season in 15 games consisted of 18 points (8-16 FG) and 15 rebounds (four offensive) while adding three assists and four blocks.  Brito finished 7-for-14 from the floor and made his only try from long-range while finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Lorquet posted his 13th double-double in 16 games on the year, finishing with 24 points (10-23 FG) and 19 boards.  McKenzie added 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting to go along with six rebounds, while Emanuel Zayas had 12 points (5-12 FG), five rebounds, and three assists, but the Beacons saw their eight-game winning streak snapped and fell to 7-2 at home.

Inside the Paint

  • Neither team turned the ball over much (UMB 13, KSC 9), but the Owls still outscored the Beacons 20-13 off miscues.  KSC has 10 turnovers or fewer as a team in nine games this season.
  • Keene State has won last three in a row and 12 of the last 13 in the all-time series, which they lead 46-9.
  • Five different Owls had multiple assists in the game.  In addition to Dupree's five, Siow had four, Hunter three, and Brito two.
  • Dupree finished with a game-high plus-20 rating.

Up Next

  • KSC returns home to Spaulding Gymnasium for a three-game home week and will take on 14th-ranked Middlebury College (13-2, 3-1 NESCAC) in non-conference action Monday night (January 16) at 7:00 p.m.  The Panthers have won three in a row.  It will be their second game against a Little East Conference opponent this season, having won at Eastern Connecticut State University 67-62 on December 30.  The Owls took last year's meeting in Vermont, 86-77, which gave Cain his 100th career victory.  "Huge week for our program, playing three games in a week against some really good teams," said Cain.  "Fortunately, all three are at home.  We are excited to compete against Middlebury Monday night in front of a packed Spaulding Gym.  Every year this game is a highly contested and competitive one that is back-and-forth, so we are looking forward to this opportunity."
  • UMass-Boston travels to the University of Southern Maine (10-6, 4-3 LEC) on Wednesday, January 18 for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.  The Beacons have won eight of their last nine against the Huskies, who lost 77-62 at Western Connecticut today.