WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – With Little East Conference unbeaten leader and nationally-ranked Keene State College in town Wednesday evening, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team picked the perfect time to submit its most inspired performance of the season.

Behind sophomore guard Dominick Dao's (Terryville) first double-double of the season (23 points/10 rebounds and nine rebounds off the bench from 6-foot-3 inch forward Sheriff Bilewu (Waterbury), the Warriors  remained in striking distance throughout in an 88-65 loss at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

To an uninformed visitor, the contest did not appear to be one between two teams on opposite ends of the Little East standings when Keene (20-2, 13-0 LEC) and Eastern (4-18, 1-12) met in the back end of the home-and-home regular-season LEC series.

While Keene was looking to put the final touches on a second straight perfect LEC season, Eastern had little to gain as it plays out the string in a disappointing season which will conclude without an LEC tournament bid for only the second time in the 38-year history of the tournament.

Ultimately, the size, depth and experience of Keene was too much to overcome for Eastern, which never led in the game, but was able to lop off 15 points from a 24-point deficit that stood in the early minutes of the second half with a spirited 19-4 run over seven minutes that cut the gap to single digits (67-58) with nine minutes left.

With Eastern trailing by those nine points, one of junior guard Ty Calloway's (Enfield) four steals gave the Warriors a chance to narrow the deficit to six, but Eastern gave the ball right back and while the Warriors were missing three straight shots, Keene followed with seven straight points on a jumper by Mason Jean Baptiste, two free throws by Nate Siow and a dagger – a three-pointer by first-year senior Alonzo Linton – that restored the visitors' 16-point, 74-58 lead with seven minutes left.

While Keene's starters played all but six minutes, the Warriors rotated in eight players to keep the Owls off balance and outscored their bench counterparts by 31-6. Calloway, Keene mid-year transfer Michael Carothers (Queens, NY) and Bilewu were among the most effective bench players for Eastern. Calloway had 12 points in 20 minutes, Carothers nine points (4-of-9 FG) and three steals and just one turnover in 27 minutes, and Bilewu nine rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes while he battled a formidable inside pair of 6-foot-7 inch All-America Jeff Hunter and 6-foot-4 inch Ocavio Brito.

Hunter and Brito combined for 40 points on 15-of-28 shooting and 9-of-11 marksmanship from the foul line, and 27 rebounds. Hunter had 21 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks and Brito 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

While Eastern turned the ball over only ten times (as compared to Keene's 16), the Warriors worst three-point shooting of the season (a disastrous 1-of-21) prevented it from cutting deeply into the Owls' lead. After missing all seven of its first-half tries, Eastern's miserable 1-of-14 shooting from distance over the final 20 minutes helped Keene avoid the upset.

Eastern visits VTSU Castleton Saturday at 3 p.m.