No. 13 KSC Shoots Over 50 Percent in Both Halves, Wins 85-72

CASTLETON, Vt. – Junior Octavio Brito tallied 24 points while missing just one shot and added seven rebounds while fifth year senior Jeff Hunter added 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks to pace five Owls in double-figures as the No. 13 nationally ranked Keene State College men's basketball team returned from a 25-day break to post an 85-72 victory over Vermont State University Castleton in Little East Conference action Wednesday night at Glenbrook Gymnasium.

Records

• No. 13 Keene State:  9-2, 3-0 LEC
• Vermont State Castleton: 4-8, 0-3 LEC

How It Happened
The Owls led for the vast majority of the way, but could not put the Spartans fully away until a strong push over the final six minutes of the second half – and it was KSC's balance that ultimately did it, with key minutes from Jacobe Thomas and Wesley Odiase off the bench providing a key difference.  Leading 44-37 at the break despite 5-for-6 shooting from three and 15 points from Castleton's Scott Lampron, it seemed Keene State could deliver a decisive blow right out of the half as Brito connected from distance twice within a minute to turn what had been a seven-point lead into a 54-41 advantage with 17:17 to go, KSC's largest edge to that point.  Down 57-43 with 14:50 on the clock, the home team answered with an 11-3 push over the next four minutes to get back within six again with still 9:32 left.  However, the Owls made shots at key times to keep the Spartans at bay, including Mason Jean Baptiste's triple just 14 seconds after Castleton got within six.  Leading 66-60 with less than six minutes to go, Hunter found Odiase for a flush to make it eight, and a short time later two free throws from Thomas and a second-chance layup by Hunter made it 72-62.  The KSC big man cleaned up the glass on the next trip down also, and eventually a layup from Thomas and dunk from Brito pushed the lead to 12 with 2:47 left and the Spartans were never within single digits again.  Jean Baptiste's layup and a triple from Thomas, who scored seven points and was the second-leading scorer in the second half, made it 83-68 a minute later and KSC led by as many as 16 points down the stretch.

"Happy to come away with a win.  Playing at Castleton has been a tough gym for us as long as I have been here," said Keene State coach David Hastings.  "Placing five guys in double-figures was a great job, particularly from Wesley and Jacobe."

Before a pair of cosmetic baskets in the final 38 seconds, Castleton's offense was vanquished in the stretch that finally gave the Owls some separation, as they were just 2-of-9 from the field.  They did make 5-of-7 free throws – and 17-of-19 in the second half after each team had just four tries at the line in the opening 20 minutes – to stay within some reach, but wound up shooting nearly 16 percentage points lower than the Owls on the night and after a 6-for-11 showing from deep in the first half, did not make any on five tries in the second.  Lampron had only six points after the break.

A perfect shooting half (5-5 FG, 2-2 3-PT, 2-2 FT) from Brito in the first helped stake KSC to an early lead, as consecutive swishes from the preseason All-American opened a 12-6 Owl lead less than five minutes in.  It was 17-9 later after a three by Liam Johnston, but the Spartans' three-point proficiency brought them back within 22-20 at the 9:34 mark as Lampron canned two and Leonard Brice one.  A Brito dunk restored the lead to eight (28-20) two minutes later, and consecutive layups from Hunter and Nate Siow with about six minutes left pushed the lead to 10 as the Owls looked to pull away before the break.  It did not happen, however, as the Spartans ran off six consecutive points to get within four at the 5:56 mark.  Five points from Thomas over the next three minutes pushed Keene State's lead back to nine, and a dunk from Hunter in the final minute of the half made it 44-35 before Will Radcliff answered with one of his own following an offensive rebound to make it a seven-point game at the break.

Castleton tipped home a miss to get within five in the first minute of the second half, but saw KSC embark on an 11-2 run for a 14-point lead and their continued scoring balance carried them from there.

"A true team needs each member to stay ready both mentally and physically so you are prepared to help whenever your number is called," added Hastings.  "A team with depth that can have confidence and rely on everyone to contribute in a positive way is the most valuable."

Brito followed up his 14-point first half with 10 in the second half for a team-high 24.  Odiase (5-9 FG, 1-2 3-PT), Siow (4-8 FG, 4-6 FT, three assists, four steals), and Thomas (4-7 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 3-4 FT) each finished with 12 points.  Hunter's double-double came on 5-of-8 shooting.

Joe Russell paced Castleton with a game-high 24 points including a 13-for-13 effort at the foul line.  He was only 6-for-18 from the floor, but also added seven rebounds and four assists.  Lampron (6-12 FG, 5-7 3-PT, 4-4 FT) added 21 points and three rebounds, while Radcliff (7-16 FG) had 15 points and 12 boards, but it was not enough for the Spartans to avoid their 36th straight conference loss.  They are, however, scoring an average of 11 more points per game this season compared to last.

Inside the Paint

• Thanks to Odiase and Thomas, KSC's bench outscored the Spartans' reserves 27-7.
• Hunter's five blocks marked a season high.  His 187 are 29 shy of tying the all-time school record set by Nate Howard.
• Jean Baptiste is currently 75 points away from becoming a 1,000-point scorer in his career – he would be the third active player on the Owls to reach the milestone, joining Hunter and Brito (who joined the club in this year's season opening win over Western New England University).
• The Owls have won all 13 head-to-head meetings, 11 by double-digits, including 102-49 (in Keene) and 63-35 (in Vermont) decisions last season.

Up Next

• After not playing for 25 days, KSC now has five games in 10 days – a stretch that continues at home this Saturday (January 6) against the University of Massachusetts-Boston (2-11, 1-3 LEC) at 3:00 p.m.  The Beacons, who lost at home to the University of Southern Maine tonight (68-60), are 1-5 away from Boston and have lost five straight.
• VTSU Castleton visits the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (5-5, 2-0 LEC) on the same day (3:00 p.m.).