On Wednesday, Nov. 30, the Keene State men’s basketball team took on Trinity College, making a close game, but after clutch moments from senior Lucas Hammel, the Owls advanced to yet another win and added to their undefeated season.
In the opening tip-off, the Trinity College Bantams took an early lead until KSC senior Matt Ozzella knocked down a three-pointer.
The Bantams scored once again and trailed by only a few buckets. Sophomore Ty Nichols missed a shot put up, but Hammel rebounded and scored on Nichols’ miss.
The Bantams worked their deficit to only a bucket when Trinity College student Eric Gendron’s jumper went in.
The Owls went on a 13-3 run with three-pointers from Hammel and first-year Damonte Turner. Turner made another three-pointer after being set up from outside to make a 37-22 lead, with only a few minutes left in the first half.
Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor
Junior Dizel Wright continued the scoring for the Owls by completing a three-point play with just four minutes in the half.
The Owls went into the half with a 44-32 lead after the Owls’ first-year Jake Collagan and the Bantams’ Eric Gendron both made free throws in the final seconds.
At the start of the second half, the Bantams went down the court four times, missing each shot and an opportunity to make a comeback on the Owls.
Turner fed first-year Deonte Vinson for a layup just four minutes into the half.
Trinity College inched their way back into the game by cutting the lead down to eight points, giving the Owls a 53-45 lead over the Bantams.
The Bantams scored with Langdon Neal and Nick Seretta, each making layups to cut down the lead. In the 10th minute of the second half, the Bantams scored again, cutting the Owls lead to six (57-51 Owls).
In the 12th minute, Trinity College’s Gendron drained a three-pointer, cutting the lead to only two points until senior Jaquel Edwards drove the lane through defenders, scoring to make a four-point differential.
Ozzella went down to score on a pass to him on the right elbow, making the Owls lead 62-57.
The Owls’ power through the second half took multiple possessions on offense and went on an 8-2 run. T
he run led from baskets made by Ty Nichols and Hammel’s free throw, giving the Owls a 70-59 lead with only two minutes to play in the game.
Hammel finished the game with a career-high of 21 points and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
Keene State also contributed to their win by shooting 30 of 41 from the free throw line and double digit scoring from lead scorer Hammel with 21 points, Nichols with 15 points, and Ozzella and Dizel Wright with 10 points each.
This was the first ever win the Owls have had against Trinity College in a matchup in regular season play.
The Owls moved into Little East Conference play on Dec. 3 against UMass Dartmouth with a five game winning streak and an undefeated season thus far.
The Owls suffered their first loss of the season, as they fell short and lost to UMass Dartmouth 38-71.
The men will travel to Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts, Thursday, Dec. 8 for a non-conference game.
Travis Thuotte can be can be contacted at Tthuotte@kscequinox.com