How did the women’s basketball team perform this week?
The Keene State Owls welcomed the Rhode Island College Anchormen to their home turf at the Spaulding Gymnasium on Friday, January 28 at 4 p.m.
This game was moved from Saturday, January 29 because of the winter storm, and no spectators were allowed at the game.
First-year forward Kenzie Durnford secured every point of the first quarter for the Owls, scoring six points in the quarter and 11 points overall in the game. The Anchormen ended the first quarter seven points ahead. The Owls picked up the pace in the second quarter, with solid moves by first-year players Samantha Lee and Aryanna Murray, junior Hailey Derosia and senior Jenny Freedman. The third quarter saw Lee, Derosia, Durnford and sophomore Rylee Burgess trying to close the lead with multiple layups and free throws, ending the quarter six points behind Rhode Island. The Owls and the Anchormen were going neck-and-neck, but the Owls could not quite catch the lead, with the game ending in a score of 61-53 in favor of the Anchormen.
Although they suffered a loss this time around, the Owls played a tough game. Lee is 34-for-69 shooting (49 percent) overall and five-for-nine from three this season; her 12 points were one shy of her season and career-best mark in her rookie campaign. Durnford’s scoring output was her highest since November 16. The Owls have dropped a series record nine straight to the Anchorwomen, not scoring more than 53 points in any of those games; Keene State leads the series 28-26.
Earlier this week, the Owls faced off against rival Plymouth State Panthers in the Spaulding Gymnasium on Wednesday, January 26 at 5:30 p.m. Murray scored 13 points and Derosia added another 11 for the Owls as they took a double-digit lead 19 seconds into the second quarter. The Owls only played tougher from there, securing a 65-35 win over the Panthers. This game marked the third-biggest rebounding gap of the season for the Keene State women’s team.
The Owls also challenged Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) at Spaulding Gymnasium on Monday, January 24 at 5 p.m. This game was rescheduled from January 11 and no spectators were allowed. The Owls quickly fell behind, with a score of 17-7 by the end of the first quarter. They tried to pick it back up in the remaining three quarters, but ECSU was victorious with a final score of 56-27.
The Owls will be back in action on Wednesday, February 2 in the Geissler Gymnasium at Eastern Connecticut State.
Piper Pavelich can be contacted
at ppavelich@kscequinox.com
