Keene State College Men’s Basketball team defeated Rhode Island College (RIC) Anchormen 90-69 on senior day at Spaulding Gym on Saturday, Feb. 2. With 22 points on nine of 11 shots, 10 rebounds and four assists, senior Leo Chaikin led the Owls to victory.
Junior guard Jordan Cooper contributed 17 points on five of 10 shooting, including four three-pointers, while Senior guard Mitch Shettles also achieved a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
With the win, Keene State secured the No. 3 seed going into the playoff tournament, improving its record to 15-10 overall and 11-5 in the Little East Conference (LEC). In the LEC quarterfinals, the Owls will meet RIC for a second time on Tuesday night.
The program honored student assistant coach Andy Colbert and four seniors, Leo Chaikin, Ryan Blakey, Mitch Shettles and Liam Johnston before tipoff. The gathering soon devolved into an offensive performance.
Keene State took a 9-3 lead early in the game and did not look back. Halfway through the first half, the Owls led 16-6 thanks to a layup from sophomore Kareem Porter Jr. and a three-pointer from Cooper. Cooper and Shettles’ three-pointers a little while later increased the lead to 26-12.
With just over three minutes remaining in the half, the Anchormen’s 15-7 comeback reduced the score to 33-27. Chaikin finished the frame with a two-handed dunk in the last minute, while Johnston stopped the run with a clutch three-pointer. 20 seconds later, Johnston hit another three, putting KSC ahead 44-30 in the half.
Early in the second half, the Owls led thanks to Johnston and Shettles. With two free throws from Cooper with 12:23 left, KSC increased its lead to 64-43.
With little over five minutes remaining, RIC made a final effort to cut the deficit to nine points (74-65), but KSC’s seniors swiftly closed the gap. Johnston knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game off a Chaikin offensive rebound, and Chaikin followed with another powerful dunk that sealed the outcome.
Blakey reached a personal career milestone by contributing seven points and three assists. The senior guard combined his points from Keene State, the College of Southern Maryland, and Hampden-Sydney College to score his 1,000th collegiate point on a layup at 1:52. The Owls shot 49% from the field, 38.7% from beyond the arc (12-of-31), and recorded 18 assists for just nine turnovers. The defense reduced RIC to 15-for-43 from the range and 36% shooting overall, while the Owls’ bench scored 34 points.
Junior guard/forward Xavier Mendez led the Anchormen with 16 points and nine rebounds, followed by Loudon Chupas and CJ Wilson with 13 points each. Despite shooting 10-of-26 from the three-point range, the Anchormen struggled to generate consistent offense in the paint against the Owls’ length and rebounding.
The Owls advanced to the first round of the playoffs and played their first game at home on Wednesday, Feb. 25, against RIC.
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