KEENE, N.H. – The Castleton University men's basketball team battled closely with Keene State in the first half on Tuesday night, but a breakout second half by the Owls dealt the Spartans an 84-54 defeat in Little East Conference road action.
The Spartans (4-19, 0-15 LEC) were within just four points at the break, but Keene State (16-6, 11-4 LEC) ramped up its offensive output in the second half to pull away for the victory. The Spartans shot 38.1 percent (16-of-42) from the floor and 20.0 percent (3-of-15) from three-point land. Keene hit on 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from the field and 30.6 percent (11-of-36) from three. The Spartans made 19 free throws and the Owls hit 13 at the line. Rebounds were nearly even at 37-35 in favor of Keene, but the Owls controlled the offensive glass, 15-8, leading to a 25-4 edge in second-chance points.
Joe Alamprese scored a team-high 16 points, while
Johnny Torrence added 13 points and four rebounds for the Spartans.
Oluwadare Sowunmi had six points and eight rebounds.
Justin Schwarzbeck added five points and four assists.
Mason Jean Baptiste led all players with 23 points for Keene State, with Lyndon Prayer and Nate Siow adding nine points apiece. Siow came up one point shy of a double-double, racking up 10 assists in the contest.
The two sides played evenly over the first eight minutes, as Castleton knotted the score at 11-11 after Alamprese hit a three and Sowunmi knocked down a jumper. The Owls took a 15-11 lead after a free throw and a triple, but Castleton kept it within a point after three straight points by Torrence. After Jean Baptiste hit a three to give the Owls an 18-14 edge, Castleton went on a four-point run to tie the game once more, 18-18. Keene State responded with a seven-point run, but a pair of threes down the stretch kept Castleton in the game at halftime, 30-26.
The second half was all Keene, as the Owls started the frame on a 7-0 run and tacked on a 16-0 run later to push the lead to 53.28. Keene State continued to build its lead, but Castleton remained tough in the final minutes, scoring the final nine points of the contest to give the game its 84-54 final score.
The Spartans wrap up the regular season Saturday at home against UMass Dartmouth. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
