Box Score KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State Owls used a balanced offensive attack and lockdown defense to hand the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team its first loss of the season on Saturday, beating the Corsairs 86-71 in Little East Conference play.
With the victory, UMass Dartmouth slips to 7-1 and 1-1 on the season in the LEC, while Keene State stays undefeated, rising to 7-0 and secures a league-opening win.
Keene State's sharpshooting was the story of the game, as the Owls connected on 49 percent (29-of-59) of its chances from the floor. Guard duo Kelsey Cognetta (Stamford, Conn.) and Sandi Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) each registered 23 points and combined for all six of the Owls' 3-point buckets. Cognetta was on point all game, shooting 5-of-7 from the field, 3-of-3 from long range and 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
For the Corsairs, junior Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass.) posted a game-high 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, with senior Beth Castantini (Newburyport, Mass.) putting up 16 points.
The Owls held a slight advantage for the entirety of the first half and dominated the paint, registering 22 points in the post to the Corsairs' 10. Despite a three-point basket from sophomore Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) and three made Ronaghan free throws to bring the deficit to only two halfway through the second quarter, Keene State responded with a surge, upping the lead to 10 at the 6:27 mark. Keene's 16-of-32 shooting in the first two periods secured a 47-39 lead at the break.
The second half was more evenly-played, but Keene's accuracy continued. The Owls finished the third quarter with a 9-4 run to help increase the lead to 13. In the fourth, Keene capitalized off missed Corsair tries and upped the advantage to as much as 18 before the final buzzer sounded.
Junior Amanda Petrow (Methuen, Mass.) recorded the game's only double-double, dropping 12 points with 10 rebounds for the Owls. On the other end, Kutil contributed 14 points and senior Colleen Kane (Arlington, Mass.) 10, while freshman Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) paced the Corsairs in rebounding with nine boards.
The Corsairs take the court one more time in the calendar year, as they host Johnson & Wales on Tuesday before the holiday break.
