With the win, Springfield raises its record to 4-8, while Keene State falls to 8-3.
Springfield shot .563 for the game, its second-best field goal percentage for the season (behind the .583 SC shot against Connecticut College on December 14). The 98 points were a team season-high. It was the most points an SC team had scored since the Pride defeated Curry, 98-69, in Milton, Mass. on December 9, 2003.
Yvon, a senior guard from East Longmeadow, Mass. and Cathedral High, fell one point shy of his season-high with his 30 points. He has now scored 1,776 career points, which places him 3rd in Springfield College annals. Tonight, he moved up two spots, ahead of Alan Schutts ’53 (1,765) and Buddy Clarke ’83 (1,766). Yvon is now only 6 points shy of Ramses Kelly ’91, who scored 1,782 points in his SC career.
Springfield was in control throughout the evening due to its balanced scoring. SC was ahead 52-34 at the half. Five players scored in double figures overall, including junior guard Anthony Pizzo (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa HS) with a season-high 17 points (and 6 assists), senior forward Brian Riley (Worcester, Mass./St. Mary’s HS) with a career-high 16 points (with a career-high 13 rebounds, 7-of-9 from the floor), junior forward Damian Farley (Natick, Mass./Natick HS) with 12 points (and 5 rebounds), and senior forward Joel Aponte (Windsor, Conn./Windsor HS) with 10 points.
For Keene State, four players scored in double figures. The included sophomore guard David Sontag (Mount Vernon, N.H./Souhegan HS) with 14 points (and 4 assists), freshman forward Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vermont/Springfield HS) with 11 points (and a game-high 15 rebounds), freshman forward Nate Anderson (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Reg. HS) with 11 points (and 5 rebounds), and sophomore guard Matt Hickey (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac HS) with 10 points (and 3 assists).
Leading 15-9 with 13:57 left, Springfield then went on a 19-5 run to take a 34-14 lead with 8:32 left in the first half. Yvon hit a 3-pointer to cap that run. It was 52-34 at the half.
SC was pouring it on at the beginning of the second half. Four times the Pride led by as many as 26, the last at 77-51 with 11:20 remaining. Three times Keene State would close the gap to 15, the last at 85-70 with 4:50 left. But that was as close as the Owls would come until the very end.
Springfield outrebounded Keene State, 39-35, for the contest.