KEENE, NH – Octavio Brito scored 17 points to lead four players in double-figures as the No. 4 Keene State College Owls defeated the University of Southern Maine Huskies 93-68 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium.
Spencer Aronson added 15 points off of the bench for the Owls, while starters Jeff Hunter and Jeric Chicon had 13 and 12 points each. Hunter finished with a double-double collecting a game-high 15 rebounds, adding five assists and four blocked shots.
Senior
Cody Hawes (Carmel, Maine/Hermon) led Southern Maine with 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Senior
Jason Lombard (Anchorage, Alaska/Chugiak) added 11 points, while junior
Chance Dixon (Lake Worth, Fla./Santaluces) had nine points and six rebounds.
The Records:
Southern Maine (10-8, 4-5 Little East)
No. 4 Keene State (17-1, 9-0 Little East)
Series History:
Keene has won the last four straight over the Huskies, and earns the 2022-23 season sweep of USM. KSC defeated Southern Maine 83-70 on December 3. KSC leads the 114-game series 69-45.
How It Happened:
- Ahead by three possessions, 28-19 after a pair of free throws from USM freshman Diego Colon (New Braunfels, Texas) midway through the first half, Keene State outscored the Huskies 20-3 over the next seven minutes to lead USM 48-22 with 2:27 to go. Nate Siow and Jeff Hunter each had six points for the Owls in the run as KSC was 8-for-15 from the field during that stretch, and held USM to a 1-for-11 effort.
- USM regained its shooting touch in the final 2:27, going 3-for-4 from the field to close out the half, but the Owls went into the halftime break up 56-31.
- KSC outscored the Huskies 12-6 to open the second half and widened its lead to 68-37 following a three from Brito. From there, the Owls stayed comfortably in front for the win and remain undefeated in LEC play.
Inside The Stats:
- Keene State shot 50.7 percent from the field (34-for-67) and 43.5 percent (10-for-23) from three points range.
Up Next:
The Huskies return home on Wednesday (7:45 pm) against LEC opponent Rhode Island College as part of Town of Gorham Night
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