The Keene State Women’s Basketball team celebrated Senior Day in style, rolling past the University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons with a 74-59 victory at Spaulding Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 8.
The Owls struggled early, shooting 3-14 from the field in the first quarter, while the Beacons shot 5-12 to enter the second quarter with a 14-12 lead.
First-year guard Kiley Bundy and sophomore guard Brynn Rautiola both made three-point attempts and a layup from junior forward Lillian Krysinski jumped the Owls out to a seven-point lead midway through the second quarter. However, the Owls could not fully capitalize on the momentum and headed into halftime trailing 29-26.
That would all change in the third quarter as the Owls exploded, outscoring the Beacons 20-8. Junior guard Valerie Luizzi led the charge with seven points, helping Keene State build a commanding 46-37 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Beacons had a good run in the fourth quarter, attempting to come from behind but were ultimately stalled by good Owls defense. From there, Keene State was able to add some insurance, notably a big three-pointer from Luizzi with nine seconds left on the clock to claim a 74-59 victory. This win takes the Owls to an even 6-6 in-conference record and a 10-11 record overall. As for the Beacons, they will fall to an 8-14 record overall and a 5-8 record in conference.
Rautiola led all scorers with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Other big contributions came from Luizzi who scored 16 and had eight rebounds and five steals. Senior guard Aryanna Murray scored 10 and had three rebounds. The Beacons were led in scoring by sophomore forward Sabanna Berrios who put up a 15-point performance to go along with six rebounds.
With their playoff seeding hopes on the line, the Owls will host the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, Feb. 12, looking to carry this momentum into the final stretch of the season where they will play four straight LEC conference games.
Elías Stowell Alemán can be contacted at
estowellaleman@kscequinox.com
