PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Sophomore Kristin Degou (Newburyport, Mass.) and Nicole Simmler (Oxford, Mass.) combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds Tuesday evening to lead Keene State College past Plymouth State University, 68-56, in Little East Conference women's basketball action at Foley Gymnasium.

            Degou drained 6-of-8 attempts from three-point range to finish with a game-high 18 points, while Simmler added 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds to pace the Owls attack.  Sophomore Alyssa Sapp (Hartford, Vt.) added 10 points as Keene State improved to 14-8 overall and 6-5 in LEC play, while PSU dropped to 9-13 and 2-9.

            The Panthers were led by junior Kayla Morin (Pascoag, R.I.), who tossed in 12 points, and senior Lauren Daniels (Concord, N.H.), who made 5-of-7 field goal attempts and finished with 10 points and six rebounds.  Sophomore Laura Kent (Bellingham, Mass.) and senior Meg MacDonald (Salem, N.H.) chipped in with eight points apiece.

            The visitors came out strong and jumped to an 18-6 lead before the game was eight minutes old.  PSU battled back and cut the margin to just four points (22-18) with three minutes to go in the first half, and it was a five-point Keene State advantage (26-21) at halftime. Plymouth State shot 43 percent from the field in the first half while holding the Owls to a 32 percent shooting clip.

            The teams traded baskets for the first five minutes of the second half, with the Owls holding three-point margin (36-33) with just over 15 minutes on the clock.  Keene State outscored Plymouth State 17-4 over the next five minutes to go up by 16 points, and the Panthers could get only as close as nine points the rest of the way.

            Plymouth State actually made more field goals than Keene State (23-21) but the Owls converted nine three-pointers (compared to four for the Panthers).  KSC was also 17-of-22 from the free throw line while PSU was just 6-of-12.

            Both teams are in action again on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.  PSU hosts UMass Boston on Senior Day at Foley Gymnasium, while Keene State returns home to host Western Connecticut.

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