PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Hien Thach and Hailey Derosia combined to score 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Keene State College women's basketball team fended off Plymouth State University to notch a 50-43 Little East Conference victory at Foley Gymnasium Tuesday evening.

Records

• Keene State:  3-10, 2-2 LEC
• Plymouth State:  3-7, 0-3 LEC

How It Happened

Derosia finished with a team-high 11 points for KSC, making 3-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line, while adding seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.  Hien Thach was 3-of-5 from long range and added nine points, six coming in the final 10 minutes.  Kenzie Bennett matched Derosia with seven boards for the Owls, who never trailed after taking the lead early in the second quarter.  Jalen Cook put up 13 points for Plymouth State, but shot 5-for-15 from the floor as the Panthers lost their sixth in a row.

It was a very slow offensive start for Keene State, who managed only three points and were 1-for-10 from the floor over the first 7:45 but trailed just 4-3 after Plymouth was 1-for-12 themselves.  The shooting picked up quickly, as the teams then exchanged a pair of threes each over the final 2:15.  Thach put the Owls ahead for the first time (6-4) after she made her first triple.  Katie Martineau did the same to make it 9-7, but Elizabeth McLoughlin put the Panthers up one through one after making a three with 22 seconds to go in the quarter.  Keene State took control with a 9-0 run to start the second frame as Plymouth did not score for over seven minutes.  Bennett's triple at the 8:43 mark put the Owls ahead 12-10, a lead they would ultimately never relinquish despite shooting just 33% in the game.  A pair of buckets by Derosia sandwiched by one from Shlimon made it an eight-point game (18-10) with 3:27 left, but Plymouth scored seven in a row to get within one before a triple by Martineau just before the horn made it 21-17 KSC at the break.

The Owls again seemed to have the game under control when they opened the second half on a 9-2 burst to take a game-high 11-point lead (30-19) just over three minutes in, but then scored just three more points in the rest of the third quarter and saw their lead chipped to just 33-29 heading into the final period after Plymouth scored the last five points.  Cook continued the Panther run to start the fourth, as her layup made it a one possession game.  A layup by Derosia broke up PSU's 12-3 run, and KSC eventually found themselves leading 41-33 after Thach drained a three and Bennett converted inside with 4:10 left in regulation.  It was still an eight-point difference when Thach connected from long range again to make it 44-36 with 2:26 remaining, but Plymouth hung around, as Alessia Salzillo's three made it a three-point game just over a minute later.  KSC was able to execute on the following possession after Thach found Gonyea to make it 46-41, and the Owls made four free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the win.

Inside the Paint

• KSC has held four different opponents to fewer than 50 points in the past seven games.
• The Owls improved to 38-9 in the all-time series and have only lost twice to the Panthers since 2010 (both last year).
• Keene State's bench, which saw four people score between five and nine points, outscored their Plymouth counterparts 26-11.

Up Next

• KSC returns home to entertain Eastern Connecticut State University, winners of five in a row, on Thursday, January 9 at 5:30 pm.
• Plymouth State travels to Castleton University that same night.