| Keene State fans stormed the
court after the Owls knocked off No. 1 Middlebury. Photo by @trynne2 |
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| Keene State had plenty to
celebrate. Keene State athletics photo |
Keene State finished the game on a 15-4 run and rallied to defeat top-ranked Middlebury by one, 77-76 on Tuesday night.
After Joey Kizel hit a three-pointer to put Middlebury up 72-62 with 6:21 left in the game, the Owls scored seven unanswered points, five by Ryan Martin, to get back within shouting distance. The Panthers shot just three field goals in the final six minutes, the last one a Kizel layup attempt which was blocked by Rashad Wright with 2.2 seconds left.
Wright finished with a team-high 15, including the eventual game-winner on a jumper with 1:12 left. Anthony Mariano added 14 points, Martin 11 and Ollie Hunter scored 11 off the bench. Kizel led all scorers for Middlebury with 24.
Keene State's win was its sixth in a row. Full story.
George Fox and Lewis and Clark finished the night with an epic four-overtime battle, including a buzzer beater, before George Fox won 116-112. Mike Taylor, who beat the buzzer in the third overtime to extend the game, led the way with 30 points for the Bruins, Corey Clark obliterated his career high with 25 (previous best was seven), Anthony Sanchez had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Sean Atkins scored 22. George Fox played only seven players, two of whom fouled out.
No. 6 Amherst rallied to beat Rhode Island College 79-69, as Aaron Toomey scored a game-high 25 points, including 13-for-14 from the foul line. The Lord Jeffs trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before tying the game on a Toomey foul shot early in the second half. Tahrike Carter scored a career-high 20 for Rhode Island College.
No. 15 Augustana missed a shot in the closing seconds of regulation but went on to beat No. 24 Illinois Wesleyan in overtime 80-78. The Titans shot 2-for-10 in the extra period.
Millikin has struggled all season, going 1-19, but have been even worse of late. The Big Blue failed to reach even 30 points for the second consecutive game, falling to No. 23 Wheaton 82-27. Five players reached double figures to help No. 22 Oswego State fend off Brockport State 89-75.
Lee Vazquez hit nine three-pointers and scored a career-high 41 points as Westfield State defeated Worcester State 81-59. Tufts narrowly avoided defeat twice and came away with an 84-82 overtime victory against Mass-Dartmouth. Four free throws by Tufts freshman Ben Ferris in the final 10 seconds of overtime ultimately made the difference.
Tuesday's women's action
Hannah Munger scored 16 and Megan Arnoldy added 14 as No. 3 George Fox pulled away from seventh-ranked Lewis and Clark for a 54-41 win. The Pioneers shot just 21 percent from the floor and 1-for-13 from downtown in the loss.
Lewis and Clark led by as many as eight in the second half and was ahead as late as 9:30 left in the game, but George Fox ended the game on a 24-6 run to complete the regular-season sweep of its closest Northwest Conference rival.
No. 6 DePauw won its 68th consecutive home conference game, a streak spanning two conferences, defeating Kenyon 68-47.
Haley Jordan led three players in double-figures as Southern Maine defeated Colby 73-67 in a non-conference game. Jordan was 5-for-13 from the field and 13-for-16 from the free throw line. The Huskies improved to 16-4 with their 12th win in the past 13 games.