KSC Improves to 5-0 in LEC to Start Three-Game Week

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Octavio Brito scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 27 minutes and Mitch Shettles added 19 points off the bench on perfect 5-for-5 shooting from behind the three-point line as the hot-shooting Keene State College men's basketball team crushed Eastern Connecticut State University 99-61 in a Little East Conference game Tuesday evening at the Geissler Gymnasium.

The Owls (10-3, 5-0 LEC) led by double-digits for the final 31 minutes, shooting 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from three to build a 53-32 halftime advantage that only expanded quickly after the break to turn what was the first game of five in a nine-day span into a rout.  KSC opened with a 9-0 surge out of the locker room to take a 62-32 lead with 17:04 to go and was never remotely threatened after that, going up 82-48 on a Brito layup and Shettles' fourth trey of the game a little over halfway through the second half.  His fifth triple came with 5:38 to go, capping off a sizzling day in which the United State Coast Guard Academy transfer finished with a season-best 19 points to go along with four rebounds.  He is 7-for-9 from deep in the last two games and is up to 42.6 percent overall on the season (20-47).  KSC, meanwhile, improved to 9-0 when making double-digit threes this season – and they nearly had that accomplished by halftime as Shettles was 3-for-3 and Spencer Aronson 2-for-2 while Ryan Blakey and Isaac Ogutuga each made their only attempts from beyond the arc.

Eastern (9-4, 1-4 LEC) was overwhelmed by the Owls' efficient offense, which after the impressive three-point show in the first half shot 17-for-24 (71 percent) from inside the arc after halftime.  The Warriors entered the game averaging 68.9 points per game offensively while holding opponents to a conference-best 65.4 average per contest.  KSC had 20 on the board in less than eight minutes, sprinting out to a 13-point lead that was capped by triples from Blakey and Shettles.  Four free throws by the Warriors brought the home team within nine at the 11:37 mark, but Joshua Williams and Ogutuga followed with threes of their own to make it 26-11 less than a minute later.  Nine different Owls scored in the opening half and 14 overall to help KSC post their seventh straight win in the series, all by double-figures.  Four of the victories have come at Geissler Gymnasium dating back to a 79-56 Little East tournament semifinal win in February of 2022, when the Owls would go on to win their first of now three consecutive league titles.  They are aiming to become the first-ever four-peat champion in LEC history this season, and by all accounts are off to a start befitting that, having won four of their five conference games by at least 30 points.

"I thought we played a complete game today," said KSC head coach Steve Enright.  "We defended well and were able to disrupt their action, and we rebounded the ball.  Offensively we got back to playing at a faster pace and I thought we were able to execute well.  It really was good to see our bench produce the way they did.  Mitchell gave us a big scoring punch and we got solid contributions across the board."

KSC's bench racked up 48 points in total, with Blakey adding seven points (3-7 FG) and Leo Chaikin six (3-4 FG) in addition to Shettles.

Brito wound up finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.  He is now 71 points away from catching fellow All-American and three-year teammate Jeff Hunter '24 and 148 from becoming the third 2,000-point scorer in program history.

Julian Sanchez paced Eastern Connecticut with 12 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 2-4 FT), seven rebounds, and four blocks, but the Warriors dropped consecutive games for the second time this season and suffered their worst loss since January 24 of the 1994-1995 season.  Keene State would join the Little East Conference entering the 1997-1998 campaign, and their previous biggest win in the series was a 105-72 final in February of 2008 at Spaulding Gymnasium, where the Owls will return this Thursday and Saturday for important home games.

KSC will tip-off against Western Connecticut State University (8-7, 4-2 LEC) on Thursday (January 16) at 6:00 p.m. before meeting Rhode Island College (10-4, 6-0 LEC) on Saturday afternoon for Red & White Alumni Day at 4:00 p.m.  The Anchormen downed the WCSU 71-69 at home tonight to remain unbeaten in conference play, winning LEC contests by seven points in overtime, four points twice, and two points three times (a combined total of 21 points).  The Owls have beaten WestConn in each of the last two Little East championship games, including 84-68 last season.  Eastern Connecticut travels to Vermont State University Castleton (2-11, 1-4 LEC) on Thursday for a 5:00 p.m. start.