With the win, the Owls improve to 11-3 overall and remain undefeated in Little East Conference play at 5-0. The loss snaps the Huskies four-game win streak dropping Southern Maine to 9-6 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
In a high-scoring affair, Sontag led five Owl players in double-figures shooting a remarkable 7-for-10 from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range to lift Keene State to the win. Sontag added five assists and four steals to go along with his game-high 23 points. Sophomore guard Matt Hickey (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) added 19 points for the Owls, while senior forward Sean Sullivan (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) chipped in with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting off of the bench. Freshman forward Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vermont/Springfield) posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and junior guard Stanley Chamblain (Chelsea, Mass./Everett) netted 10 points.
Senior forward Bill Hardwick (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) and sophomore guard Walter Phillips (Portland, Maine/Bridgton Academy) led the Huskies scoring 22 points a piece as Southern Maine also posted five players in double-figures. Sophomore guard Josh Daniels (Everett, Wash./Maine Central Institute) added 18 points for USM, while sophomore guard Andy Frost (Brewer, Maine/Brewer) and junior guard Foster Oakley (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) chipped in with 14 and 12 points respectively.
With the score tied at 95-95 with 1:53 left in the game following lay-up from Sontag, the Owls outscored Southern Maine 8-1 down the stretch, netting all of their points on the free throw line en route to the win. Keene State made 30 of its 35 attempts (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe, the eventual difference in the game, as the Huskies made 16 of its free throws while going to the line 21 times (76.2 percent).
After falling behind by 13 points early in the second half, 57-44, the Huskies rallied to take a slim two-point lead, 87-85 with 4:24 remaining on a traditional three-point play from Phillips on a lay-up and a free throw. The Huskies connected on eight of their season-high 12 three-pointers in the second half.
The Huskies pushed their lead to six points, 91-85, after a steal and a lay-up from Frost and a dunk from Phillips with 3:45 on the clock, before Keene State rattled off six unanswered points to knot the score up at 91 on three free throws and a three-pointer from Hickey.
Both teams traded baskets over the next few possession, before USM’s Hardwick gave the Huskies their final lead of the game, 95-93 with his sixth three-pointer of the night, before Sontag scored the game-tying lay-up off of an assist from Kathan. Kathan finished the game with a team-high seven assists.
From there the Owls made 8-of-10 free throws to close out the game and earn the win, while the Huskies missed their final three shots of the game and went just 1-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minutes of play.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting 56.7 percent from the field (34-for-60) and was a sparkling 50 percent from three-point range (12-for-24), but was hampered by 23 turnovers in the game compared to just 16 by the Owls. Keene State finished the game shooting 39.7 percent (31-for-78) from the floor and 40.7 percent from beyond the arc (11-for-27).
The Huskies return to action on the road at Plymouth State University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Jan. 17). The Owls play on the same day at Eastern Connecticut State University at 7:30 p.m.