KSC Shoots Sizzling 59 Percent in Second Half to Run Away, Hunter Named MOP For Second Straight Year

KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State College men's basketball program has made a lot of history in recent memory.  Add another item to the list, this one not accomplished since before the Owls joined the Little East Conference in 1997.  And add a chance at more history when "March Madness" gets underway next week, as No. 11 nationally-ranked KSC became the first men's basketball team to complete a conference three-peat in 29 years, using a big second half to drill Western Connecticut State University 84-68 in the conference championship game at a nearly full Spaulding Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.

Records

• No. 11 Keene State: 24-3
• Western Connecticut: 22-5

Highlights...coming soon
Postgame Interview (Coach Hastings)
Sullivan Tire Player of the Game Interview (Nate Siow)
Postgame Interview (Spencer Aronson)

How It Happened
The Owls entered the day with revenge on their mind, as it was WestConn who stopped their 36-game conference winning streak exactly two weeks ago with a surprising 76-73 in which KSC shot their worst percentage from the field this season.  Mission accomplished with authority.  After shooting just 29.7 percent in the opening 20 minutes yet leading by five, the Owls blew the doors off the Wolves in the second half, shooting nearly 60 percent while outscoring them 53-42 to lock up their seventh league championship since joining the conference beginning in the 1997-1998 season.  KSC's 2024 title joins ones from 2004, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023.  They are also 39-20 all-time in the LEC tournament.

Keene State is normally at their best when they have balance, and that was particularly evident in the second half, when Nate Siow scored 17 of his 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting and routinely got to the basket – a renewed emphasis for him after the last meeting between the two teams.  Spencer Aronson, who did not play on February 10, added 14 points (5-8 FG, 3-6 3-PT) in the final 20 minutes while Mason Jean Baptiste had seven, Jeff Hunter six points and seven boards, and Alonzo Linton five points.  The Owls made 5-of-11 from deep after a 2-for-13 showing in the first half.

KSC quickly established themselves out of the locker room, going up 37-28 with 18 minutes to go after a pair of Siow free throws, and WCSU struggled to keep up, trailing by double-digits for the final 14 minutes.  Leading 41-35 at the 16:13 mark, the Owls put up five quick points on a Siow jumper and Aronson three following a Hutner block to go up 11, and layups by Octavio Brito and Hunter a short time later made it 52-37 with 12:19 left.  The Wolves went well over eight minutes without a field goal after they were within 39-34, and when the stretch ended they trailed 56-40 after another Siow layup at the rim.  The Owls delivered several daggers from there, with Aronson drilling a three with 7:21 left to put his team up 59-43 and another 37 seconds later for a 17-point advantage.  His three-point play falling down at the rim after WestConn got within 13 got the crowd going, putting KSC up 67-51 with 4:47 on the clock.  Triples from Linton and Jean Baptiste in a 22 second span on the ensuing two possessions were the final knockout punches, giving the Owls a 73-53 lead.  They led by as many as 22 in the closing minutes, and all of the starters got a loud ovation when subbed out with 49 seconds to go.
It very well may not be the starters' last appearance on their home court, however, as the Owls will make their ninth NCAA tournament appearance and find out who and where they will play on Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. on the NCAA selection show.  KSC looks to add another deep run to their ledger, making the Sweet 16 previously in 2007, 2016, and last year after winning a pair of games in Keene.  They have also made the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2017.

After KSC led 11-7 but allowed a 12-0 run to fall behind by eight early in the previous meeting, the Owls were playing from behind the rest of the game and trailed for nearly 37 minutes and by as many as 17 (60-43) before staging a furious comeback that came up just short.  Today, despite a slow offensive start, the Owls played from ahead again, leading for 36:11.  KSC swallowed up WestConn's offense, holding them to 34 percent shooting in the game and blocking eight shots (six by Hunter).  The Owls led 31-26 at the break thanks to holding WCSU to a 10-for-31 effort (32 percent) in the opening 20 minutes.  KSC seemed to pull away some after a back-and-forth start, opening an 18-13 lead on a Hunter layup with 11:07 to go in the first half and later a 24-17 edge three minutes later.  However, the Owls went scoreless for 3:40 as WestConn answered with a 7-0 run.  Linton buried an important three with 3:44 left until the break to put KSC back in front 29-26, and Hunter scored inside with less than two minutes left for the five-point lead the Owls took to their locker room.  The star big man had 16 points and 15 rebounds for yet another double-double as he eyes down being the national statistical champion in that category for the second straight year.  He also added five assists, tied for the most on the team.

Siow led the way with 22 points (7-14 FG, 8-11 FT), six rebounds, and five assists.  Aronson finished with 14 points (5-10 FG, 3-7 3-PT), Mason Jean Baptiste 12 (4-8 FG, 2-4 3-PT), and Linton 10 (4-9 FG, 2-3 3-PT).  Brito had eight points, a career-best 17 rebounds, and three assists.

WestConn was paced by 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting from Cameron Gallon.  He also had four rebounds and three steals.  Keeshawn Jones added 11 points and Jourdan Belcher 10, but those numbers came on 7-for-22 shooting.  Jaheim Young was limited to nine points on 2-of-10 from the floor as the Wolves fell to 6-4 in title games, losing to KSC in consecutive years (83-79 in overtime last season).

Inside the Paint

• Hunter is the first repeat and two-time winner of the tournament Most Outstanding Player Award.  Alphonse Michalski (2004), Tom Doyle (2015), Nate Stitchell (2016), Ty Nichols (2019), and James Anozie (2022) have also won the award from KSC.
• Brito's 17 rebounds were a career high, and helped the Owls beat up the Wolves on the glass 47-36 and outscore them 36-24 in the paint.  It was WCSU's most lopsided loss of the season.
• Today's championship win was the second biggest in title history for Keene State, behind only an 18-point win over Rhode Island College (75-57) in 2015.
• The Owls lead the all-time series 41-20 and have won 14 of the last 17 meetings.  WestConn is 9-24 at Spaulding Gymnasium.
• KSC's 16 LEC title game appearances since they joined the conference are seven more than the next closest team.  Their seven championships are now the second most in league history.

Up Next

• Keene State, ranked No. 11 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, No. 1 in the Region II rankings, and No. 13 in the NCAA selection committee's Top 16 reveal on February 15, will gather to watch the selection show for the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament at 1:00 p.m. on Monday (February 26).  The show will air on ncaa.com.
• WestConn's season is likely over.  They have not been regionally-ranked despite over 20 wins due to a low strength of schedule mark.  They were also bidding for their seventh title, having won in 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2020.  They are 94-40 under fifth-year head coach Guy Rancourt.