BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston Women's Basketball built out a big lead in the first half on Saturday afternoon, but eventually fell to the visiting Owls of Keene State College by a final score of 59-48.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 48, Keene State College 59

UMass Boston (4-16, 2-11 LEC)
Keene State College (10-10, 6-6 LEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening minutes of Saturday's LEC showdown could not have gone better for the Beacons. They welcomed Keene State to the Clark Athletic Center with a 9-0 run to open the game. Their veteran presence came in handy with Paige Olliverre knocking down a three pointer and Keriann Farina providing four points.

Another late basket for Farina set the stage for Beeban Jikiemi-Pearson's second three-pointer of the season, a buzzer beater that extended the lead to 16-7 after one quarter of play.

The two squads went blow for blow in the second quarter, with each team's leading scorer - Brynn Rautiola for Keene and Farina for UMB - putting in a layup to finish off their team's opening possession. A triple for Farina stretched the lead to 22-9 with just over seven and a half to play, but the Owls were quick to cut the deficit back to nine points. 

Farina finished off the half with 13 points to send her team into halftime with a 28-19 advantage.

Keene State's first lead of the game came with just under five and a half minutes to play in the third quarter. A Sophie Bradbury layup tied the game at 32, but an 8-0 run to finish the frame put the Owls up 40-32 heading into the fourth.

Alexah Potter scored four quick points in the opening minutes of the fourth, but was alone in her efforts against six from the Owls. Olliverre and Sibayla Jensen knocked down threes late, but the deficit never dipped below double digits. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Farina's season-high 19 points pushed her scoring average back into double-digits, sitting at 10.4 points per game on the year
• Winning the rebounding margin 29-24, the Beacons were able to outscore the Owls 7-5 on second chance points
• Skyeler Sandison led the team with six rebounds
• The Owls have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will welcome in-state rivals UMass Dartmouth to the Clark Athletic Center on Wednesday night for their senior night celebration. That game will tip off at 5 PM.