Lawrence paces Panthers in conference loss to cross-state rival

            KEENE, N.H. – Keene State College relied on a suffocating full-court press to spark an early 14-0 run as the Owls cruised past rival Plymouth State University, 77-40, in Little East Conference women's basketball action Wednesday night.

            Plymouth was led by sophomore Ace Lawrence (Middletown, Conn.), who scored a game-high 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-9 from downtown.  Classmate Madison Beatrice (Newton, Mass.) contributed seven points and three steals off the bench, while sophomore Kayla Wyland (Melrose, Mass.) and senior Tiffany Lewis (Hillsboro, N.H.) each added five points and four rebounds.  Wyland also came up with four blocks.

            Keene got at least eight points from each starter and had four players finish in double figures.  Senior Courtney Roberts (Sutton, Mass.), junior Kelsey Cognetta (Stamford, Conn.) and freshman Sandi Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) each finished with 12 points, while sophomore Amanda Petrow (Methuen, Mass.) added 11.  Roberts was a force down low, connecting on 6-of-10 shots and pulling down seven rebounds.  Cognetta did her damage from the outside hitting 4-of-5 three-point attempts, while Purcell was also hot from long range (3-of-7).  Petrow did most of her damage from the free throw line where she finished 5-of-6.

            Lewis gave Plymouth a short lived 2-0 lead before Cognetta hit her first three of the game.  Following the basket, the Owls set up their full-court defense, forcing eight PSU turnovers over a six-minute span while extending to a 14-2 lead.

            Plymouth stopped the run with a corner three from Lawrence, and, after a pair of KSC free throws, Beatrice came up with a steal and connected on a driving layup.  Plymouth cut the deficit to 16-11 midway through the first half, when Wyland hit a close-range jumper in traffic, and freshman Elisabeth Caron (Londonderry, N.H.) scored on a layup after consecutive KSC turnovers, but that was as close as the Panthers would get.

            Keene State responded with a 13-0 run over the next four minutes, sparked by a triple from Purcell.  Roberts added six points during the spurt and the Owls were able to extend the lead to 20 points (37-17) after sophomore Sam Murphy (Milford, Conn.) connected from long range with just under two minutes left in the half.  Keene went into intermission with a 40-21 lead.

            KSC continued to apply full court pressure into the second half as the lead grew to 30 (56-26) after five minutes.  Lawrence connected on back-to-back triples with just over 12 minutes to play, but Purcell responded for Keene with a layup and long-ball of her own. 

            The Plymouth defense forced numerous Keene turnovers over the final five minutes, but PSU couldn't get back into the game as the team struggled from long range.  Plymouth finished 3-of-20 (15%) from downtown, while Keene hit on 9-of-18 (50%).  The Owls inside presence led to a 46-22 advantage in the rebound column.

            Plymouth State (6-11, 0-8 LEC) will look to snap a six-game losing streak on Saturday (1:00 p.m.), when the Panthers host LEC foe Eastern Connecticut on Parents Appreciation Day.  Keene State (11-8, 3-5 LEC) will be on the road Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. conference contest with Southern Maine.

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