Women’s Basketball
Senior forward Stephanie D’Annolfo made her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. D’Annolfo’s performance sent the lady Owls past UMass Boston in a crucial Little East Conference (LEC) matchup. The Owls took home the win Saturday, Jan. 28, 66-55.
Not only did D’Annolfo add another double, she added a game-high of five assists and two steals. Junior guard Sandi Purcell, junior guard Lydia Vital and sophomore guard Emily McPadden each obtained 11 points. Senior forward Amanda Petrow also added 11 rebounds.
The Owls came out strong in the first quarter with a 9-4 lead, but the Beacons responded quickly. A three-point shot was made, and the game was within two points. The Owls earned their largest lead when D’Annolfo passed the ball to McPadden for a three to make the score 15-7 with just 2:08 left on the clock. The Beacons came close at the end of the quarter, but sophomore forward, Josie Amerson made a basket in the final seconds of the first quarter leaving it 19-14, Keene State.
The Owls went on a 10-0 run with back-to-back three-point shots from Vital. The Owls now had a 15-point lead over the Beacons. The Beacons weren’t done there. They responded with five straight points. Purcell and Amerson sealed three final free throws to keep a 12-point advantage. At the end of the half, Keene State would remain on top 32-20.
Coming out of the third, the Beacons went on an 11-4 run to start it off. The Owls kept fighting for the double-digit lead they once had. Nine free throws were made in the final five minutes of the quarter for a tally of 45-34 . The Beacons ended the third quarter with two free throws, right before McPadden sank a three with just four seconds left on the clock to achieve their double digit lead,48-36.
With a 14-point lead, Purcell sank a three-pointer with 7:53 left on the clock. UMass exploded out with a 12-0 run within four minutes, making them within two of the Owls. Petrow halted the Beacons with a layup. The next four points were scored by the Owls for a 60-54 lead with 2:23 on the clock. Keene State sealed the deal by converting six free throws to UMass Boston’s one for a 66-55 win.
Men’s Basketball
Down by eight points with only five minutes remaining, the Owls managed to pull off a win in overtime. The Owls took on UMass Dartmouth Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Clark Athletic Center.
Four Keene State Owls sank double digits. Sophomore forward Ty Nichols scored 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds, junior guard Dizel Wright scored 15 points and seven rebounds, senior guard and forward Jaquel Edwards scored 14 points and seven boards and senior guard Lucas Hammel scored 12 points.
Keene State did not start off strong; the score was 6-0 before a full minute had passed. The Beacons started the game with two three-point plays. The Beacons led through most of the first half with layups, giving UMass Boston a 16-12 advantage. Senior forward Jeffrey Lunn sank a set of free throws to bring the Owls within one, 19-18. Nichols stole the ball and broke away to dunk and tied the game at 22 with 6:39 left in the first half. Wright gave the Owls their first lead in the game. Junior forward Jimmy Layman made a shot, which ignited the Owls for a 6-0 run. The Beacons sank three and a layup, which gave them a 34-33 lead over the Owls at the half.
The Beacons opened up the second half with an 11-4 run; UMass Boston added another layup, giving them a 43-37 advantage. Edwards added a three, while Layman sank another basket and brought the Owls within three. Senior forward Matthew Ozzella chipped in two free throws to make it 58-56 with 9:17 left on the clock. UMass Boston scored six of the eight points to lead 66-58 with just five minutes left. Wright took control, scoring six straight points to get the Owls within three. The Beacons converted a three-point play, but then Wright tossed the ball to Ozzella for a basket, then had a three-point play of his own to cut the lead to just one (69-68) with just under two minutes left.
Both teams missed shots, but then Ozzella scored a twisting layup for the Owls first lead since the beginning. UMass Boston went 1-2 at the free throw line to force overtime.
For the first three minutes, the Owls held the Beacons without a field goal. Nichols scored a triple, making it 74-70, Keene State. The Beacons managed to make a jump shot, but it wasn’t enough. KSC went 4-for-6 at the foul line to seal with win.
Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com
