GORHAM, Maine   -  Leo Chaikin was 8-for-11 from the field for a game-high 22 points to lead the Keene State College Owls past the University of Southern Maine Huskies 88-77 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Hill Gym.
 
Chiakin added eight rebounds to his game-high total.  Ryan Blakey had 19 points, knocking down 5-of-8 from three. Mitch Shettles scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half for the Owls, while Jordan Cooper added 12 points.
 
Sophomore Noah Dowling (North Narabeen, Australia/St. Augustine's) led the Huskies with 18 points, fix rebounds and two steals, shooting 7-for-12 from the field as one of four Southern Maine players in double-figures.  Freshman Carter Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Oceanside) added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go with six rebounds off of the bench.  Senior Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) added 16 points and six assists, while graduate student Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) had 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
The Records:
Keene State (11-9, 7-4 Little East)
Southern Maine (12-8, 7-5 Little East)
 
Today's game marked the 135th meeting between the Keene State College Owls and the University of Southern Maine Huskies. Keene State leads the overall series 87-48, and the Owls have won the last nine games consecutively.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• With the game tied at 68 at the 11:28 mark of the second half following a three from Galley, Keene State used a decisive 8-0 run over the next 1:41 to pull away from the Huskies and take the lead for good. A layup from Kareem Porter Jr., started the run, and was followed by back-to-back three from Blakey and Shettles for a 76-68 KSC advantage with 9:47 to play. 
• Whelan ended the Owl run with a mid-range jumper for a 76-70 lead to keep USM within two possessions at the 9:26 mark, but then both teams went without scoring for the next three minutes.  The Huskies looked to have two buckets back on a pair of steals leading to break-away layups, but KSC's Denis Wainaina came up big defensively with two chase-down blocks at the 8:16 mark and the 7:58 mark.
• The Owls' Cooper ended the scoring drought with a layup at the 6:31 mark for a 78-70 Keene State advantage. Cooper's layup was the first of six unanswered points from the Owls, including a jumper from Chaikin at the 3:28 mark for an 82-70 advantage.  During that stretch the Huskies went 0-for-5 from the field with a pair of turnovers.
• The Huskies pushed back and used a 7-0 run to make it a two-possession game again, 82-77, with 1:47 to play. Dowling canned a three, and Hartel and freshman Gabe Lash (Waldoboro, Maine/Medomak Valley) each went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to put the Huskies' within five. However, KSC scored the final six of the game for the 88-77 win.

 
 
Inside The Statistics:

• Southern Maine shot 42.5 percent (31-for-73). The Huskies were 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from three, and were 8-for-12 from the free throw line. KSC shot 48.6 percent (35-for-72) and were 40.0 percent (10-for-25) from three. KSC was also 8-for-12 from the free throw line.
• KSC had a 32-26 lead in points in the paint, and scored 14 points off of Husky turnovers.  USM had nine second chance points. 

 
 
Up Next:
The Huskies are on the road for their next two contests, both in LEC action, at Rhode Island College (7:30 pm) on February 4 and at Eastern Connecticut (1:00 pm) on February 7. Southern Maine returns home on Wednesday, February 11 (7:30 pm) vs. Plymouth State.
           
 
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