SC Men’s Basketball won in a heated game against the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) on Saturday, Feb. 8. A nearly full-capacity crowd came out to watch the Owls face the Beacons.
Before the game began, a Senior Day ceremony took place where KSC Men’s Basketball honored seniors Octavio Brito, Spencer Aronson and Mason Jean Baptiste for their time at Keene State College.
UMass Boston started the game with a layup by Hector Perez. KSC answered with two three-pointers from junior Mitch Shettles and senior Octavio Brito on the other end. With 16 minutes left in the first half, the Owls had a fast break and fed the ball to Brito, who slammed the ball home as the crowd erupted in excitement.
This momentum quickly turned into a flurry of points from the Owls, putting them up 13 points with over 13 minutes to play in the half. Junior Liam Johnston subbed into the game and scored a long-range three with 10 minutes left and helped the Owls continue to extend their lead. The Beacons made a quick comeback and moved within five points of the Owls.
While Brito went up for a dunk, Beacon Tyler Victor committed a flagrant foul on Brito. This resulted in each player being held back by coaches and teammates preventing a fight from breaking out. The temperature of the game increased immensely following this moment. After another dunk by Brito, he received a technical foul for taunting afterward. The Owls finished the first half up 14 points with major contributions from Brito, recording 19 points.
Throughout the second half, the Owls continued to keep their foot on the gas. However, UMass Boston continued to stay within reach, answering nearly every point on the other end. This was not enough though. The Owls extended their lead slowly but surely with big plays by sophomore Wesley Odiase and junior Ryan Blakey.
KSC Head Coach Steven Enright mentioned after the game this graduating class is the most decorated in history. The Owls celebrated their seniors with an impressive win on Saturday with a final score of 116-87.
Keene State Men’s Basketball plans to “peak at the right time” as said by Brito as the season winds down and into the postseason. KSC Men’s Basketball is in action again at home on Wednesday, Feb. 12 where they take on Eastern Connecticut at 7:30 p.m.
Carson Flake can be contacted at
cflake@kscequinox.com
