GORHAM, Maine   –  Sophomore Jacobe Thomas (Houston, Texas/Davis) had 22 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double to lead three players in double figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Keene State College Owls 72-63 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymansium. 

         Thomas was 7-of-14 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line to lead USM, adding four steals, three assists and a blocked shot. Junior Derek Haney (Auburn, Calif./Placer) had 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting including a pair of threes, while senior Keenan Hendricks (Owls Head, Maine) scored 14 points off of the bench shooting 4-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from three. 

         Edwin Ezedonmwen led KSC with 16 points off of the bench, while Jaylen Franklin scored 13 points as a reserve.  DeVon Beasley had nine points, while Ben Olson had seven point and eight rebounds. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

•   USM shot 45.8 percent (27-for-59) from the field in the win and made 7-of-19 from three (36.8 percent) to lead the game wire-to-wire. 
•  A steal from junior Kylani Lafleur (Portsmouth, N.H.) and a layup from Thomas had USM up 11, 28-17, with 3:46 in the first half before the Owls closed the stanza on a 10-2 run.  Still in front, USM took a narrow 30-27 lead into the half. 
• KSC kept in close and one of two free throws from Olson made it 32-30 in favor of USM early in the second, but the Huskies responded with a 14-3 run over the next five minutes to lead 46-33 with 13:20 to play. Thomas had eight of the Huskies 14 in the run.  
• The Huskies continued to cruise offensively and a jumper from Haney at 7:27 gave USM a commanding 64-43 lead with 7:27 on the clock.  USM led by 23, 68-45, with 4:43 to go on a lay up from Lafleur, before KSC used a 13-0 run to make it a 10-point game, 68-58, with 44 second to play. 
• Franklin had seven of KSC's 13 points in the run but USM's Hendricks closed it out from the line making 4-of-6 downt he stretch for the 72-63 final. 

UP NEXT: 

         Southern Maine remains in Little East Conference action and travels to Rhode Island College on Wednesday (7:30 pm) 

–cac–