KSC Holds Castleton to Season-Low Point Total, Second Worst Field Goal Percentage While Moving Within Half Game of Fourth in LEC

KEENE, N.H. – On January 19, the Keene State College women's basketball team allowed their highest field goal percentage to an opposition when, ironically, Castleton University shot 47 percent in a commanding win in Vermont.  Fast forward nearly a month later, the Spartans could get absolutely nothing going on that side of the floor as the Owls added another notch to their defensive belt in a 38-33 overtime victory in Little East Conference action Tuesday night at Spaulding Gymnasium to extend their winning streak to four.

Records

• Keene State:  9-12, 6-8 LEC
• Castleton:  12-10, 5-8 LEC

Postgame Player Interview (Hailey Derosia) (click here)

How It Happened
Despite going without a field goal for the final 8:47 of the first half and over 10 minutes overall, KSC stuck with it on the other end and hung around, eventually finding enough offense to record their first four-game winning streak since the 2016-2017 season.  The victory moves the Owls within a half game of fourth place with just a home-and-home against the University of Massachusetts-Boston left on the schedule, and was a big measure of revenge after Castleton posted a lopsided 78-42 win in the first meeting.  After having 26 points and 10 field goals in the opening 10 minutes in the season's first meeting while running out to a 13-point lead that only expanded, tonight the Spartans were limited to just seven more points in a 45-minute game, and had 11 baskets from the floor – total – five of which came from Kelly Vuz, their lone player in double-figures.  Castleton was held to 22.9 percent shooting, their second-worst shooting output on the season.  Keene State has now held their last seven opponents to under 40 percent shooting, and the last three to 31.7 percent or worse.  The Owls entered the night allowing 56 points per game, and lowered that to 54.9, which would be 71st nationally out of 423 teams.

Despite the score, KSC actually got off to a quick start offensively, scoring the game's first six points in the opening 3:15 before extending the lead to 8-0 a minute later.  However, the Spartans closed to within 8-6 by the end of the first quarter and took a 16-10 lead at halftime as the Owls scored just two points over the final 15:11 of the opening 20 minutes.  They went the final 8:46 of the second frame without a point after Kenzie Durnford's basket put them up 10-8.

With their defense keeping them in it, Keene State clawed back slowly, tying the game at 19 after a triple by Durnford and layup from Hailey Derosia with 3:23 to go in the third.  Derosia scored again at the 1:43 mark to put the Owls back in front (22-21) for the first time since the opening quarter, but Castleton carried a two-point edge into the fourth after Kelly Vuz's jumper with 21 seconds left.

Durnford and Derosia continued to shoulder the load offensively for Keene State in the fourth, scoring the opening five points as KSC went up 28-25 with 7:35 remaining, but consistency remained fleeting, as the Owls went over six minutes without a basket from the floor.  As a result, Ryleigh Coloutti tied the game at 28 for the Spartans at the 6:20 mark before leading scorer Elise Magro put the visitors ahead 30-29 with a layup with 3:29 to go.  One free throw from Jenny Freedman tied it on the next possession, and the KSC senior point guard's bucket with 1:13 remaining put her team in front 32-30.  Gwyn Tatton tied the game with a layup that barely beat the shot clock – not ruled a shot clock violation – and the teams then traded misses to send the game into overtime.  The Spartans had the ball last after KSC's three attempt rimmed out, but managed an off balance layup from Liz Bailey in the closing seconds that did not go in.

Keene State won the jump ball in overtime and scored in six seconds as Aryanna Murray fed Rylee Burgess inside for a 34-32 lead, and the Owls never trailed again, holding Castleton to one point and 0-of-5 shooting from the floor in the extra session.  The Spartans still had chances despite that, as KSC was just 1-for-4 from the floor themselves, but Freedman went 4-for-4 at the foul line in the final 1:03 to push the lead to two possessions (38-33), helping lock up the Owls' fourth straight victory that now moves them to fifth in the league standings.

Vuz led Castleton with 11 points (5-14 FG, 1-8 3-PT) while Magro (3-13 FG, 0-6 3-PT) and Tatton (1-3 Fg, 6-8 FT) each added eight.  The Spartans turned the ball over 21 times while falling to 4-6 since January 22.

Derosia finished with 11 points (4-10 FG, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, and three steals.  Durnford added nine points on 4-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds.  In a game that saw the teams combine to shoot 23.5 percent from the floor, those two made 8-of-20 (40 percent).

Inside the Paint
- Before the game in a moving recognition, head coach Keith Boucher and the Keene State women's basketball team honored the life and legacy of Michelle Ziegler Bennett '90, who was a member of his first team here (which was also the first team to qualify for the NCAA tournament in program history back in the Division II era).

- KSC has won three of the last four against the Spartans, limiting them to 29 percent shooting overall in the victories.

Up Next

• Keene State hosts the University of Massachusetts-Boston (7-12, 6-7 LEC) on Friday, February 17 at 3:30 p.m.  The Owls will honor seniors Brianna Metellus and Jenny Freedman prior to the game.
• Castleton continues a busy stretch by traveling to the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (16-7, 10-4 LEC) Thursday (February 17) for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.