DANBURY, Conn. – Sophomore forward Kenzie Durnford scored a game and new career-high 18 points and first year guard Valerie Luizzi added 15 as the Keene State College women's basketball team made four threes in the opening quarter and set the stage for a productive offensive day as they ran away to a 72-51 Little East Conference victory over Western Connecticut State University Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena.

Records

• Keene State:  5-14, 3-10 LEC
• Western Connecticut:  12-9, 5-8 LEC

How It Happened
Reversing a trend of recent slow starts and the first meeting between the two teams, KSC shot a season-best 46 percent from the field and had their most proficient game from three-point range all season to keep their LEC tournament chances alive.  The Owls shot only 29 percent overall and 3-for-21 (14 percent) from three-point range in the first game against WestConn on January 7 in Keene while suffering a disappointing, buzzer-beating 43-40 loss that was part of a seven-game slide.  Furthermore, KSC had recently been getting off to slow starts that resulted in insurmountable deficits.  Neither happened today, as the Owls opened an 18-10 lead after one, a 10-point edge at halftime, and a 12-point cushion through three before winning by 21.  WestConn's lone lead in the game came 19 seconds in when Katelyn Fanning opened the scoring, but Rylee Burgess got a putback bucket on KSC's first offensive possession of the game and Luizzi followed with the first of her three triples on the day less than 30 seconds later as the Owls scored five straight and led for good.  Ahead 8-6 midway through the first quarter, Luizzi connected from deep again at the 3:02 mark and that helped spark an 8-2 burst that widened the lead to 16-8 on a Kate McAvoy triple a little less than two minutes later.  Lilly Krysinski, who finished with a rookie season-best 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and six rebounds, closed the quarter with a layup to give the Owls an eight-point edge. 

KSC's scoring slowed, at least temporarily, in the second quarter, but defensively they held WestConn to just 4-for-13 (31 percent) from the field and were still able to open a double-digit lead (25-14) on Durnford's three with 5:35 left until halftime.  The Wolves scored the next four, only to see the Owls' scoring leader on the day and Katy, Texas native answer with two layups on the next three possessions to push KSC back in front 29-18.  Luizzi went 2-for-2 at the line with 1:26 left for a 12-point gap before Nicole Vivian – who made just three of 12 shots and scored nine points yet also the most important three on a buzzer-beater in the first meeting – scored to make it 31-21 at the break.  Even still, thanks to a 5-for-11 mark from long range, KSC carried a lead into the break and had made just one fewer field goal than they had made in the last two games combined.

The Owls never let the hosts get much of a sniff in the second half thanks to a sizzling 16-for-28 (57 percent) shooting performance that included an impressive 9-for-12 mark in the fourth quarter.  Aryanna Murray began the half with a layup to set the tone, and two more free throws for Luizzi made it 35-23 less than two minutes into the third.  Layups from Burgess and Luizzi a little later kept the margin the same before the Wolves briefly got within eight (39-31) on a basket from Alyssa Virtue.  Murray made two free throws on the other end on the ensuing possession to quell a possible WCSU run, and it actually sparked a run of six straight for KSC as Krysinski followed with two more layups and a 45-31 lead with 3:30 left.  Vivian chipped the deficit back down to nine at the 2:26 mark (45-36), but Durnford's offensive board and basket followed by a triple from Elizabeth Gonyea pushed the lead back to 14 in the final minute. 

The Owls carried a 50-38 lead into the fourth, and then had their most productive 10 minutes of the day to finish as they put away the Wolves.  A layup from Krysinski with 8:33 left made it 55-42, and the closest WestConn came the rest of the way was nine on two Malaysia Dingle free throws with 7:23 to go.  KSC responded by putting the game away for good with a 9-0 run that featured four points from Murray and another three from Luizzi that provided a 64-46 lead with 5:09 left.  Durnford added two more jumpers to her strong day late to make it a 19-point game (68-49), and then tacked one more for good measure in the final minute to set the 72-51 final.  Her 18 points came on 8-for-18 shooting (2-5 3-PT) and she added eight rebounds and four assists (to just one turnover).  Luizzi shot 4-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-5 from long range, and made all four free throws she took.  The first year Owl is shooting 39 percent from three in the last four games and has six in the last two while totaling 26 points.

WestConn was paced by 12 points apiece from Vivian (5-14 FG, 2-2 FT) and Fanning (5-6 FG, 2-2 FT), with the latter adding seven rebounds and two steals.  Nicole Peralta made 2-of-4 from three and scored eight, but the Wolves lost their fifth straight and for the eighth time in their last 10 games.

Inside the Paint

• Luizzi has 11 double-figure scoring efforts this season and is averaging 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists (26 total).
• Durnford's previous career-high of 15 points was set last February in KSC's 62-54 victory at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, the Owls' next opponent.  She has increased her field goal percentage by over five percentage points compared to her rookie campaign both overall and from three.
• The Owls have won three straight at Feldman Arena, and three of four against WestConn overall.
• KSC is two games out of the sixth and final playoff spot – currently held by WestConn – with three to go.  By winning today, the Owls prevented the Wolves from gaining the tiebreaker.  Keene State would need to win at least two of their last three – if not all three – to have a realistic chance at a postseason berth.

Up Next

• Keene State hosts UMass-Dartmouth (13-8, 9-3 LEC) on Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m.  The Corsairs have won three straight since losing to the first and second place teams in the league.  UMD is currently third.  The Owls have lost five of six against the Corsairs at home in a series that they now lead 36-18.
• WestConn stays home to play State University of New York at Cobleskill (13-9, 9-3 NAC) in a rescheduled game on Monday, February 6 (5:00 p.m.).