BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston Men's Basketball welcomed a nationally-ranked opponent into their gym on Saturday afternoon. The Owls of Keene State took care of business, handing the Beacons a 96-45 loss.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 45, Keene State College 96

UMass Boston (6-16, 5-8 LEC)
Keene State College (19-2, 12-0 LEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 17-2 to open the game, the Beacons put together a 9-6 run to close the gap to 23-11. The run was punctuated by Connor Walden three-pointer and layup sparked by a steal from Fidendi Francois.

Though they found themselves trailing by 20 at the half, the Beacons were able to hold the Owls to an uncharacteristically low 36 points heading into the break.

Both offenses took a step forward in the second half. Walden added six points for a team-high 13. With the Beacons bench emptied late, Cameron Love poured in nine points, all within the final seven minutes.

The UMass Boston reserves were able to keep the Owls from reaching the century mark, closing out the 96-45 defeat.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Walden has scored 128 points in 10 games played this season
• The Beacons bench provided 23 points, good for more than half of their total score
• Love's nine points in eight minutes were good for a new career-high
• Keene State's run of dominance over the LEC includes a six-game winning-streak against the Beacons

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will welcome the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth to their home gym on Wednesday night when they celebrate senior night. That game will tip off at 7 PM.