KEENE, N.H. – Junior Sara Laudano (North Haven, Conn.) scored a career high 30 points, including six three-pointers, to lead the Keene State College women's basketball team to a 85-55 Little East Conference victory over rival Plymouth State University Tuesday night at Spaulding Gym.

              Winners of three in a row and five of their last six, the Owls get back to the .500 mark (9-9) and improve to 3-5 in the LEC.  Plymouth State (7-10, 1-7 LEC) dropped its ninth straight game.

              The Owls jumped ahead 15-4 and kept building on its lead in the first half. Laudano heated up from the outside, hitting three-pointers in succession from both corners and the top of the key to put KSC up 27-14 with 8:12 to go in the half.  Junior Courtney Cirillo (Windsor Locks, Conn.) took over from there, hitting back-to-back baskets to make it 42-23 with 2:28 to go. Laudano, who knocked down four three-pointers, had 16 first-half points. Cirillo scored all her 14 points for the Owls, who led 48-25 at the break.  KSC shot 56 percent (19-of-34) from the field in the half.

              Keene State continued its offensive in the second half, Cirillo found Laudano for a break-away lay-up to make it 60-30 at the 13:55 mark.

              Junior Alicia Doucet (Manchester, N.H./Central) and senior Amanda Kania (Manchester, N.H./West) each scored 14 points to lead the Panthers.  Kania, who hit all eight of her free throws, had a team-high seven rebounds.  Sophomore Sam Monohon (Auburn, N.H./Manchester Trinity) also chipped in with 10 points off the Panther bench.

              Both teams return to the court with non-conference games on Thursday, Keene State is at Middlebury College (6 p.m.) and the Panthers travel to Johnson State (5:30 p.m.)

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