Keene State owned an 86-82 lead with 1:24 to play in the game, before Paniagua converted a lay-up with 1:06 showing in the second half. The Owls’ Matt Hickey slipped on the floor on the following inbounds play and senior Charles Yuan (Lynn, MA) picked up the loose ball, after the fall, for UMB and took it in for an easy lay-up with 54 seconds and an 86-86 tie. The teams traded hoops and then Keene State College’s David Sontag tried to split a pair of defenders after the inbounds play, but lost his balance and the ball as Yuan came up with the steal with 19 seconds left. Following a UMass Boston timeout, Paniagua worked his way in for a tough lay-up that found the bottom of the net, serving as the eventual game-winner with five seconds to go in the game. Sontag’s three-point try for the Owls was no good and the Beacons came away with the win.
Keene State raced out to a 15-4 advantage in the first four minutes of play, fueled by a pair of three-pointers by Matt Hickey, but UMass Boston scored the next seven points to pull to within 15-11 with 12:47 on the first half clock. The Owls built their lead back to 26-17 with 7:38 remaining in the first half, but the Beacons wouldn’t go away, as senior guard Eric T. Bateman (Glassboro, NJ) canned a three-pointer with 6:07 showing in the first session to make it 26-23. Keene State responded with a 10-3 run, paced by eight points from Tyler Kathan, to increase it’s lead to 36-26 with 4:28 left in the first half. The Owls maintained their lead and took a 40-32 margin to the intermission.
Keene State owned a 46-32 advantage with 18:47 to play in the second stanza, but UMass Boston came alive with a 21-8 run, behind 11 points from Barros, to cut the deficit to 54-53 with 14:36 to go in the second half. Freshman center Rodney Bennett (Boston, MA) later made a lay-up for UMB for its first lead of the day at 58-57 with 12:23 to play in the game. Kathan hit a lay-up at 10:29 to give the Owls a 63-61 lead with 10:29 showing as they held onto their advantage, leading by as many as six points, until Paniagua’s game-winning shot for the Beacons.
Barros added four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal to his day, while Paniagua scored 15 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals for UMB. Bennett came off the bench to drop in 14 points and grab nine boards in addition to five blocks and two assists. Yuan chipped in with 12 points, eight rebounds, four steals and an assist and sophomore point guard A.J. Titus (Roxbury, MA) led all playmakers with nine assists and added four points, three rebounds and two steals.
Kathan led Keene State with 21 points in addition to seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Sontag contributed with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Hickey finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
UMass Boston will be in action again on Tuesday, February 7 when it hosts Little East Conference foe University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at 7:30 p.m. in the Clark Athletic Center, while the Owls host Eastern Connecticut State University on February 7 at 7:30 p.m.
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Keene State College vs UMass Boston 2/4/06 3:00 p.m. at Boston, MA - Clark Athletic Center At Boston, MA - Clark Athletic Center UMASS BOSTON 90, KEENE STATE COLLEGE 88 KEENE STATE COLLEGE (14-6, 7-3 LEC) Tyler Kathan 7-15 4-4 21; David Sontag 4-11 4-4 14; Sean Sullivan 6-10 1-3 13; Matt Hickey 4-8 2-3 12; Nate Anderson 5-8 1-2 11; Adam Gervais 1-2 2-2 4; Kevin Ritter 2-6 0-1 4; Carl Slate 2-10 0-1 4; Stanley Chamblain 1-6 0-0 3; Ben Maynard 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 33-77 14-20 88. UMASS BOSTON (13-7, 8-2 LEC) Tony Barros 10-21 3-6 26; Amigo Paniagua 7-13 1-2 15; Rodney Bennett 4-7 6-9 14; Charles Yuan 5-9 2-2 12; James L. Hall 4-10 1-1 9; Eric T. Bateman 2-7 2-2 7; A.J. Titus 2-5 0-0 4; Tommy Howe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-73 18-26 90. Keene State College........... 40 48 - 88 UMass Boston.................. 32 58 - 90 3-point goals-Keene State College 8-25 (Tyler Kathan 3-5; David Sontag 2-7; Matt Hickey 2-4; Stanley Chamblain 1-2; Carl Slate 0-5; Nate Anderson 0-1; Sean Sullivan 0-1), UMass Boston 4-15 (Tony Barros 3-9; Eric T. Bateman 1-5; A.J. Titus 0-1). Fouled out--Keene State College-None, UMass Boston-None. Rebounds-Keene State College 53 (David Sontag 8), UMass Boston 40 (Rodney Bennett 9). Assists-Keene State College 21 (David Sontag 8), UMass Boston 22 (A.J. Titus 9). Total fouls-Keene State College 19, UMass Boston 15. A-400