Box Score KEENE, N.H. -- Keene State College utilized a 20-9 run over the final five minutes of regulation to post a 92-78 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth this afternoon in a Little East Conference men's basketball game inside Spaulding Gymnasium.
The Corsairs suffered their second straight setback to dip below the .500 mark at 7-8, while the Owls improved to 12-2.
Senior John Genkos (Worcester, Mass.) scored 21 points, on 7-for-13 from the floor, to lead three players in double digits in scoring. He registered 15 of his 21 points from behind the three-point arc, knocking down 5-of-9 attempts. Classmate Josh Castillo (Lynn, Mass.) recorded 16 points off the bench, while senior Jake Laga (Northampton, Mass.) added 11 points. Sophomore Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) pulled in a team-high nine rebounds.
Tom Doyle continued his scoring streak, netting 15 of his 23 points after halftime to pace Keene State. Lucas Hammel posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists, while Matt Ozzella and Dizel Wright also added 13 points apiece. Nate Howard had yet another double-double, with 10 points and 15 rebounds, chipping in three blocked shots to boot. The Owls dominated the glass, outrebounding the Corsairs 58-41, including 22-17 on the offensive end. Jaquel Edwards and Jeff Lunn each had 10 boards.
UMass Dartmouth used an 8-2 run, capped by a three-pointer by Genkos, to snap a 29-all tie to take its largest lead of the half with 1:33 remaining in the stanza. Keene State broke its drought with a jumper, but Castillo made the back-end of his two free throw attempts to give the visitors a 38-33 lead at the break.
The Corsairs continued their hot shooting at the beginning of the half, making their first two attempts to jump out to an eight-point lead (43-35). The Owls responded with a 10-2 surge to forge a 45-all tie. UMass Dartmouth stemmed the tide with a triple by Castillo, but the hosts' exploded for a 12-1 run to build 57-49 advantage.
However, UMass Dartmouth answered with a 13-2 surge to regain its advantage. Robinson ignited the run with a jumper, while freshman Cody Borges (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored the final four points to take a 62-61 lead with nine minutes remaining in regulation.
Hammel converted a pair of attempts from the charity stripe to give Keene State its final lead of the advantage. The Owls pushed their advantage to eight points, but the visitors were able to whittle their deficit to three, 72-69, with five minutes, 23 seconds left on the clock.
UMass Dartmouth would not get any closer as Keene State used the decisive 20-9 run to close out the contest.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, when the Corsairs host intra-state rival UMass Boston.
