Keene State College Gets Past Men’s Basketball, 71-66

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College senior guard Andre French (Torrington, Conn.) scored a game-high 19 points, but Keene State College registered three players in double figures including Rashad Wright (Agawam, Mass.) who scored a team-high 15 points and a game-best 11 rebounds to help propel the Owls to a 71-66 victory over the Blazers in Tuesday evening's non-conference men's basketball game at Picknelly Arena.

With the loss, Elms moves to 1-2 on the season, while Keene State improves to 2-1 overall.

Elms shot 31.4-percent from the floor in the contest, led by French who nailed three treys and was 4 of 6 from the free throw line in addition to notching five steals. Blazers' senior forward David McDaniel (Plainfield, N.J.) added 11 points, while senior center Carson Miller (New Oxford, Pa.) and sophomore forward Kenneth Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) hauled in a team-high six boards each.

Sophomore guard Piere Simpson (Middletown, Conn.) chipped in five points and dished out five assists and Miller added seven points off the bench in the losing effort.

Wright was 4 of 9 from the field and 7 of 11 from the stripe en route to 15 points and also contributed three blocked shots to help spark Keene State to victory.

Eric Fazio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) was 5 of 9 from the floor and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Anthony Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.) swished 13 points on the strength of 6 for 6 shooting from the free throw line to round out the Owls' trio in double figures.

In the opening period, Keene State's sprinted to an early 19-8 advantage over the first 6:17 of the contest, highlighted by three-pointers from Tom Doyle (Wallingford, Conn.) and Tre' Tipton (Stamford, Conn.).

Elms answered with a 8-0 run of its own ignited by a swish from beyond the arc by senior guard Walter Mfuko (Amherst, Mass.) to pull the Blazers to within three at 19-16 with 11:07 to play in the first stanza.

A pair of French free throws at the 4:48 mark set the score at 27-24 in favor of the Owls, before French dropped in a trey with 4:03 on the clock to even the score at 27-27. Keene State closed out the half scoring 12 of the next 18 points to secure a 39-33 lead at intermission.

Elms sprinted out of the gate to start the second half as freshman guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) canned a mid-range jumper to spark a 14-0 run over the first six minutes of the frame to give the Blazers a 47-39 advantage.

Owls' baskets by Fazio, Tipton and Jim Hepple (Newington, Conn.) pulled Keene State to within two at 47-45 with 12:56 to play and stayed within six points until Jesse LaCroix (Orange, Mass.) hit the back end of two free throws to set the score at 57-57 with 4:31 to play. 

The Owls increased their lead to as many as four in the final minutes of the contest before Elms' senior guard Charles Bason (Riverdale, Md.) delivered a three-pointer with 58 seconds remaining to pull the Blazers to within one at 67-66.

Martin and Wright each made one of two free throws to give Keene State a 69-66 lead with 24 ticks on the clock and Fazio sealed the contest with back-to-back foul shots following a missed three-point attempt by French.

Elms returns to action on Tuesday, November 27 at 7:00 p.m. when it hosts WPI at Picknelly Arena.