KEENE WITHSTANDS PLYMOUTH RALLY, PANTHERS' SEASON OVER

KEENE, N.H. - The Plymouth State men's basketball team had their season come to a heartbreaking close as they lost a 74-68 LEC quarterfinal matchup to arch-rival Keene State Tuesday night from Spaulding Gym.

The game got off to a quick pace, and maintained it until the very end. Senior Kevin Eisenberg came out scorching for the visitors, scoring nine of the Panther's first 11 points. The burst helped Plymouth out to an early 11-6 lead, but Keene State would eventually storm back to hold a 28-21 advantage with five minutes remaining in the first half.

An old-fashioned three point play from Eisenberg narrowed the lead to 28-26, but the Owl's responded with an 11-3 run, giving Keene a 39-29 lead with under a minute to go. Plymouth would, however, seize some momentum heading into the half, as junior Petey Skevas hit a jump shot in the closing seconds to send Plymouth into the locker room trailing 39-31.

The Panthers came out roaring in the second half, scoring the first seven points of the frame. A conventional three-point play from Skevas, a put back by Uche Nwokeji, and a pair of three-pointers from Alex Burt helped Plymouth regain the lead 51-47 six minutes into play.

The Owls responded with just as much intensity. Fouled while draining a deep three-pointer, Keene guard Ryan Martin hit the free throw to convert the four-point play, putting Keene State back on top 53-51. A flurry of action ensued the following minutes, as Keene would eventually hold a 65-62 lead with four minutes remaining, setting up the games scintillating final minutes.

With just 1:49 remaining in the game, a sequence involving multiple turnovers from both teams resulted in a 70-66 KSC lead with just over a minute remaining. Skevas then hit a pair of free throws to narrow the margin to two points, but then missed an open layup following an Owl turnover. Both Skevas and KSC sophomore Tom Doyle came down with the ball, but the possession arrow gave the ball back to Keene. Doyle then hit two free throws to up the Owl lead to 72-68, followed by Skevas failing to convert on his own pair of from the charity stripe, with the KSC crowd up and screaming. Tipton converted two more from the line to account for the final score.

The loss was a heartbreaking one for the Panthers, but it did not come void of great performances. Burt led the PSU charge with 17 points, while Skevas recorded 16 points of his own. Also playing well were Nwokeji and Eisenberg, each finishing with 15 points.

Keene State snapped a two game losing streak with the win, and will face second seed Easter Conn. State in the semifinal game at Rhode Island College Friday night. KSC lost to Easter Connecticut in last year's LEC tournament by a close score of 81-76 in double overtime.

The lost dropped Plymouth to 3-11 in LEC play and 7-19 overall. Despite the record, The Panthers were really able to find their stride towards the end of the season, providing some truly exciting games for the home crowds at Foley Gymnasium. The team will look for the young talent that performed so well this season to continue their development and help PSU get to the next level.