LEC Basketball Tourrney: Owls Set for Semifinals

KEENE, N.H. 2/27/08 - "It's on to the semifinal round of the Little East Conference basketball tournament for Keene State men's and women's basketball teams.

After posting home first-round wins on Tuesday, both teams will part ways for semifinal games on Friday. The third seeded Keene State men will travel to UMass-Dartmouth where they will face second seed Rhode Island College (6 p.m.) and the Owl women head up to Southern Maine to take on the top-ranked Huskies (7:30 p.m.).

Riding a modest three game winning streak, the Owl men (16-10) advanced to the semifinals with a 93-79 victory over sixth seed Western Conn. RIC (20-6) moved on after dispatching seventh seed Plymouth State 77-58.

Keene State won't be lacking for incentive on Friday. The Owls have dropped their last four games to the Anchormen, last year in the LEC finals (87-75) and NCAA "Sweet 16" game (75-73) and a pair of regular season contests this season. KSC lost in overtime to RIC (96-91) at Spaulding Gym on Dec. 8 and came up short 85-81 in Providence on Feb. 2.

Although he admits playing Rhode Island on a neutral court helps, KSC Coach Rob Colbert is concerned how his team matches up against the more-athletic Anchormen. "It's a difficult match-up for us," said Colbert. "They're a tough team to guard on the perimeter and contain offensively. I'd like to think that some of the adjustments we made (tonight) might play a factor in how we play them Friday night."

Coming off an inspiring first-round win over Western Conn., Colbert said he felt his team played with a sense of urgency. "I think that was very apparent, especially on the defensive side of the floor," he said. "The players understand what's at stake. They don't want their season to end."

Host and top seed UMass-Dartmouth (24-2) will face fourth seed Southern Maine (14-12) in the second semifinal game on Friday. The two semifinal winners will play for the LEC championship on Saturday (5 p.m.).

The Keene State women (16-10) stamped its ticked to the semifinals with a 58-46 win over fifth seed Rhode Island College. Top seed and defending champ Southern Maine rolled over eighth seed UMass-Dartmouth 79-31.

Despite losing the season series, the Owls have played the Huskies close, losing 71-66 at Spaulding Gym and 58-53 in Gorham, Maine.

"It's a great opportunity for our players to face one of the top teams in the country," said KSC Coach Keith Boucher. "We could go up there and get blown out, but if we play with the same focus and effort (as we did Tuesday) we'll give them a game."

Getting by the Huskies will be a tall order for the Owls. USM comes into the game ranked second in the region and 11th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Southern Maine is shooting for its 19th overall and 12th straight LEC tournament title.

The Owls and Huskies are no strangers to each other in LEC tournament play. The two teams have hooked up five times since 2002, with USM coming out on top each time. KSC has faced USM twice in the finals, losing 69-29 in 2005 and 68-57 last season.

KSC has just win over USM in 25 LEC games. That win came last season when the Owls upset the Huskies 62-50 in the regular season finale for both teams.

Second seed Eastern Conn. (22-4) will face third seed Western Conn. (20-5) in the second semifinal game on Friday. The two semifinal winners will play for the LEC championship on Saturday (4 p.m.).

KSC fans can watch both men's and women's LEC tournament games by clicking on the conference's web site: http://www.littleeast.com/sports/tourney/lec-tournament-central-2008.html