Keene State 64, Worcester State 59
Worcester, MA --- Senior Nicole Simmler (Oxford, MA) tallied a team-high 16 points with eight rebounds to help lift Keene State to a 64-59 victory this afternoon over Worcester State in non-conference women's basketball action.
The Owls (9-3) were also paced by fourth-year Kristin Degou (Newburyport, MA) and sophomore Courtney Cirillo who each registered 15 points while senior Jen Cleveland (Newington, CT) corralled eight boards. Sophomore Meghan Farrell (Chester, VT) swiped four balls while Degou and Simmler finished with three steals apiece.
Junior Kathleen Foley (Hudson, NH) paced the Lancers (8-6) as she scored 16 points off the bench with a perfect 4-for-4 line from three point land. Sophomore Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, MA) also added 10 points while senior Reilly O'Keefe (Warren, MA) chipped in with 7 points and 8 caroms. Third-year Becca Giguere (West Brookfield, MA) also handed out five assists for WSC.
There were more than 500 students from three local elementary and a middle school in attendance to witness a thrilling finish as they participated in "Math Madness", a program designed to enrich their education through math and basketball.
With Keene State ahead by a slim 44-41 margin midway through the second period, the Owls used a 13-6 run to take a 57-47 lead at the 5:30 mark. With KSC up 59-48, the Lancers got back into the game with an 11-2 spurt - with eight points and including a pair of treys by Foley - to trail by two points with 80 seconds remaining in regulation (61-59).
The Owls then turned the ball over on their next possession before Worcester State coughed up the ball on a long inbounds pass into the opposing back court as Degou came up with a key steal for KSC. The visitors then ran off some time on the clock before they were fouled on their own offensive rebound after a missed jump-shot. Cirillo converted one of her two shots for some insurance to make it a three point game with 8 seconds left (62-59).
The Lancers had one more opportunity to make it a one point contest, but they missed a lay-up in the closing seconds. Simmler was then fouled and she canned both of her attempts from the charity stripe to seal the game for Keene State.
The opening half featured five ties and four lead changes before it ended with a 28-28 tie. WSC had the early 22-13 edge before the Owls went on a 9-0 run to knot the score at 22-22.
Keene State used 14 steals to force 18 WSC turnovers. The Lancers out rebounded the visitors 39-37, but KSC doubled up Worcester State on the offensive glass, 14-7.
Despite shooting 32 percent for the game (19-for-59), Keene State made eight of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc (36%). The Lancers made almost half of their shots as they connected for 47 percent from the field (24-for-51), but shot poorly from the free throw line (6-for-13).
Both teams will travel to conference opponents on Saturday afternoon. The Blue and Gold will travel to Framingham State for a 3 o'clock showdown as they are unbeaten in MASCAC play while the Owls head to UMass Dartmouth for a 1 PM tip off.