Women’s Basketball
The Keene State women’s basketball team put forth a season-high 13-of-21 shooting performance from the three-point line and got their sixth straight win. Sandi Purcell received her career-best of 27 points and the team defeated Eastern 80-51 on Feb. 15.
Purcell led the Owls with 27 points and went 7-for-9 from the three-point line. She also had 9-of-16 from the field, added three assists and got four steals. Emily McPadden added 18 points and converted 7-for-11 from the field. Stephanie D’Annolfo and Josie Amerson pulled a team-high of seven boards a piece, while D’Annolfo also had five assists.
Coming out the first, the Lady Owls tallied the first five points off a layup from D’Annolfo and a three from Purcell. Eastern closed the gap to four, scoring two converted free throws with just 1:29 on the clock. Rachel Bonnanzio hit a three in the last seconds of the first quarter, giving the Owls an 11-14 lead.
The Owls opened up the second quarter with a 9-2 run, extending their lead to 18-6 with 6:44 left in the half. The Owls continued to push through and Purcell added her third three-pointer of the game with 2:54 left for a 27-13 lead. The Owls finished out the half on a 10-0 run. In the final two minutes, Hien Thach added a layup, excelling the Owls 39-16.
The Owls were not done there; in the third and fourth quarter, the Owls outscored Eastern. The Owls earned their largest lead of 31 points in the third quarter after back-to-back three-pointers and a shot from McPadden. D’Annolfo added a free throw, giving the Owls a 58-27 lead. Purcell kept her momentum going in the fourth quarter. She went 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Eastern was not able to come into reach of the Owls. They would only come as close to 23 points in the last remaining minutes.
Men’s Basketball
The Keene State men’s basketball team suffered a tough Little East Conference match-up. The Owls played Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, Feb.15. The Owls fell 74-53. Jaquel Edwards led the Owls with 16 points, while Ty Nichols had 10.
The Owls came out in the first half with three baskets, a layup and a three-point shot all before a slam dunk for an early 7-0 lead. However, this was the only lead the Owls were able to get.
Eastern converted a three-point play with just 15:13 left on the clock. Keene State then scored the next 11 of 18 points. The Owls were then able to get within three, with a three-pointer from Nichols with 9:43 left in the half.
Eastern controlled the ball with a 15-3 run over the next five minutes. They also added a pair of free throws and a jumper with just over a minute left. Edwards managed to knock down a pair of three-point shots in the last minute, sending it into the half with the Owls down by 11.
A basket from Edwards and a free throw by Jimmy Layman brought the Owls within seven (46-39) with 15:57 left in the half. Eastern continued to pull away, outscoring Keene 17-3 over the next seven minutes to lead by as much as 25.
Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com
