Keene, NH --- No. 19 WPI battled through a night of momentum swings and second-half surges, but a late rally came up just short as Keene State clipped the Engineers, 66-62, in Saturday's championship game of the Keene State Invitational presented by Best Western Plus Keene inside Spaulding Gymnasium.
WPI, ranked 19th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 preseason poll, sees its perfect record dip to 4-1 as Keene State, which received votes in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, improves to 2-3 on the season.
WPI jumped out to an early 11–5 spurt fueled by buckets from Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, TX) and pair of trifectas from Justin Molen (Newark, DE). A Leo Chaikin (South Hero, VT) and Jordan Cooper (Goldsboro, NC) jumper helped bring the hosting Owls to a one-point deficit at 16-15 with 7:49 remaining in the first half. The Engineers stayed steady as the deficit did not exceed five before the Owls converted on three of their next four possessions to tie the contest at 24-24.
A Nicholas Margetson (Balwin, NY) jumper regained the lead before Keene State sank a couple of free throws and a Ryan Blakey (Akokeek, MD) three to take its first lead since the opening points of the game at 29-26. WPI's Tim Reidy(Needham, MA) knocked down a trey with two seconds remaining in the half to go into the break all knotted at 29-29.
Keene State made the most of the first 4:53 of the second half opened with a decisive 13-4 run, sparked by six straight scoring possessions for the Owls to hold a 42-33 lead. Margetson hit a three to stop the run followed by a three consecutive made free throws from Tao Schreiber (Pompano Beach, FL) to cut the deficit to three. Bledsoe, Molen and Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) all chipped in to claw back with a pair of threes and layups to tie the game once again at 49-49 with 10:40 remaining.
The Owls then responded with another 12-4 run sparked by four made free throws sandwiched by Allyn Wright(Bloomfield, CT) layups and topped with Cooper three to take a 61-53 lead with 4:52 remaining. The hosts would then hold off the Engineers en route to the 66-22 win for the Keene State Invitational title.
Molen delivered 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists on the night as Bledsoe added 15 points and Margetson chipped in 11 points and five assists. Keene State was buoyed by a balanced trio of double-figure scorers in Cooper (14), Joshua Williams (Charlotte, NC) (12), and Chaikin (12, nine rebounds).
WPI shot 38.0% from the floor and an impressive 88.9% (16-for-18) at the stripe, while the Owls held a 32–27 rebounding advantage and converted key second-chance opportunities during their crucial second-half push.
The Engineers return home for a 6pm matchup with Fitchburg State on Tuesday inside Harrington Auditorium. Keene State continues its homestand next Sunday, November 30th, hosting No. 4 Tufts at 1pm.
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