Keene State Women’s Basketball team lost in its matchup against Rhode Island College (RIC) 69-64 in a close game on Saturday, Feb. 21.
The Owls entered the game 17-7 on the season overall and 11-5 in the Little East Conference. They were up against the 20-4 RIC, which was on a nine-game winning streak.
The first quarter was a majority of back-and-forth scoring between both teams. Junior guard Brynn Rautiola scored 22 points in the first quarter alone. She would add two in the second, breaking the single-season record for the Owls in the first half. RIC had the lead for the start of the first quarter, but Rautiola managed to score the points needed for the Owls to come back. This was followed by a good three-pointer from first-year forward Bella Schultz-Mitchell to increase the Owls’ lead. The end of the first saw the score raised to 30-22.
KSC managed to keep a hold on throughout the second quarter. First-year Sydney Cassidy hit a jumper to further the lead by two, with Sophomore Ruby Dasaro making a layup to add two. Rautiola had two free throws in this quarter. RIC managed to put points on the board and come within three points of the lead, ending the second with a score of 36-34.
Just twenty seconds into the third quarter Cassidy hit another jumper to extend the Owls lead. This part of the game also saw RIC tie the game with just about four minutes left in the quarter at 48-48. During this time, RIC managed to pull away with the lead as the Owls were unable to score again in this quarter of the game. The last score for KSC in the third was a layup by Rautiola. The quarter ended with the score 59-48 with RIC leading.
Unlike the start of the third, the fourth quarter didn’t see any scoring until about three minutes in. The first points of the fourth were made by the Owls, in particular senior guard Valerie Luizzi, who made a strong three-pointer. Luizzi would score another three-pointer and two free throws to make it a close game with five minutes remaining. While the Owls did their best to consistently keep the game close, they ultimately could not retake the lead from RIC. The game ended with a final score of 69-64.
KSC played next in the Little East Conference quarterfinals, where the team faced Eastern Connecticut State University once again on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 5:30 p.m.
Nathan Eliopoulos can be contacted at
