DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Junior Jeff Hunter finished an alley-oop with four seconds left in overtime to lift Keene State, 71-69, over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to capture the Little East Conference Championship Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The Corsairs (23-4) fall at the Tripp for the first time this season and snap an 18-game home-winning streak dating back to last season. Senior
Marcus Azor notched his nation-leading fifth triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, adding five steals and two blocked shots. Senior
Adam Seablom led all players in scoring with 24 points, while senior
Sean Leahy finished with four points six rebounds and six assists. Sophomore
Mike Eurquhart was a factor defensively with two blocks and eight rebounds.
Keene State's two big men dominated the game. Hunter tallied 19 points and 13 rebounds, while 5th-year senior James Anozie, the Tournament Most Outstanding Player, finished with 19 points, 11 boards and two blocks. The Owls win their fifth LEC Championship in program history and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
It was a classic championship atmosphere and both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket. Azor and Seablom each hit 3-pointers to give the Corsairs a slim, 12-10, advantage with 12:49 on the clock. Seablom and senior
Dhalyn Sanders-Dyer both hit shots to keep UMassD on top, 21-16, at the 7:45 mark. Keene State then rattled off a 17-6 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 33-27 lead with 1:58 in the half. The Owls got two more baskets to drop compared to one for the Corsairs to take a 37-31 advantage to the locker room.
The Owls extended their lead to 12 points with 17:15 to go. A two and a three from Leahy sparked the Corsair offense. A 3-ball from Ashworth brought the score closer and Seablom and Azor tacked on the next six points to cut the deficit to 46-45 with 10:54 remaining.
Keene State answered with a three, but seven-consecutive points by Seablom and a layup from Sanders-Dyer gave the Corsairs their first lead since the first half, 56-54, with four minutes left in regulation. Keene State tied it back up at 60 and its buzzer-beater attempt went half-way through the rim and bounced out, forcing overtime.
Buckets were falling in the first couple minutes of OT to make it a 64-64 game with three minutes on the clock. Both teams traded baskets and Azor tied it up at 69 with a layup with eight seconds to go. Keene State's sophomore Nate Siow then tossed an alley-oop to Hunter who flushed it home to take the lead and Azor's last second 3-point heave was no good. Hunter and Anozie scored every point for the Owls in overtime.
UMass Dartmouth will look forward to the NCAA Selection show to see who they will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show takes place on Monday at 12:30 p.m.
