After fighting hard for 40 minutes, the Panthers had their chances to get the job done, but just couldn’t capitalize. The final score of 66-55 was not indicative of how the Panthers played against the rival Owls of Keene State.
Sophomore Jack Preston (Nashua, NH) was the lead scorer of the game, picking up 19 points for Plymouth State. Junior Uche Nwokeji (Lynn, MA) was ferocious on the boards collecting a game high 10 rebounds while sophomore Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, NH) showed how he’s a real team player dishing out five assists.
The Owls were led by senior Tom Doyle who would contribute 18 points to his team’s winning effort. While the Panthers led in the rebound and turnover categories, Keene’s 46.2 field goal percentage was the difference to Plymouth’s 37.3 percent. Panthers came out playing strong going up 5-0 early, however the Owls would bounce back two minutes later to tie it at 5. The game would continue to go back and forth for the next eight minutes of the half with neither team leading by more than four. It was with 10 minutes left in the half that Plymouth turned it up, going on a 10-1 run to take a 23-16 lead. Unfortunately, this would be the last time Plymouth would have the lead in the game. Keene would chip away going on their own 12-2 run to close out the half, giving them the 28-25 lead entering the locker room.
The Panthers fought hard in the second half, trailing Keene by only one or two baskets several times. Their last chance would come around the 7 minute mark when Preston slammed one home to bring the Panthers within two. They would keep it a close two possession game until the final four minutes when Keene would go on a 9-2 run to close out the game with the 66-55 final tally.
The loss moves Plymouth to 7-17 (2-11 LEC) and extends their current losing streak to five games. They look to rebound in their senior game Saturday afternoon at 3:00 in Foley Gymnasium against Rhode Island College.