Owls beat Huskies for first time since 1978

What a way to go out.

In their final regular season game, the Keene State College Owls shocked the Division III women's basketball world as they defeated the sixth ranked team in the country, the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 62-50.

Senior captain Bri Barnes led all scorers with 23 points, going 4-7 from beyond the arc and shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.

"We've put in so much effort and hard work, it was time for us to reap the benefits," said KSC head coach Keith Boucher.

The win marks the first time in six years a team from the Little East Conference has beaten SMU, who has won the LEC championship 10 years in a row.

"This is just amazing," said Barnes. "This is the best feeling in the world."

The win also marks the first time KSC has ever beaten SMU since joining the LEC, losing 22 straight before the win.

"When we first saw the schedule, we knew we had to try and go out on top," said Barnes.

The Huskies came out gunning, taking an early 8-6 lead, but it would be their last of the game. The teams exchanged baskets for most of the first half, until Barnes hit back-to-back three pointers with just under seven minutes in the half to take the lead 18-12.

KSC was without their star forward Sarah Begnoche for most of the first half due to foul trouble.

"It was definitely frustrating not being able to play," said Begnoche.

"We didn't change our game plan," said Boucher. "A lot of people stepped it up when she (Begnoche) went out."

The lead would have been larger, but KSC struggled at the free throw line, shooting just 40 percent from the charity stripe.

With KSC up on the scoreboard and just seconds remaining, Barnes hit a three as time expired to head to the locker room with a 30-20 lead.

As the second half started, so did Begnoche, as she drained her first two shots to give the Owls a 14 point lead.

SMU's star forward Ashley Marble was held in check all game due to KSC's tough defense, which forced 18 turnovers and eight steals.

"We had to try and shut her down," said senior Caitlin Jamiel. "She is an amazing player, so we had to play some defense against her."

"It was really important for us to go at her and make her defense so we could get some fouls on her," said Boucher.

Marble was held to just 12 points, 10 less than her 22 points per game average.

With Begnoche on the bench with foul trouble, Barnes took the game over, hitting a big three pointer with just under 14 minutes left to give KSC a 10 point lead. The Huskies never really threatened after that, never getting any closer than six points.

Barnes' two free throws with 1:30 left all but sealed the deal at 56-46.

"Everyone played extremely well," said Boucher. "We had to come to play, and we did."

As for the three star seniors, the win caps off extraordinary careers at KSC.

"I'm just so proud of the underclassmen," said Barnes. "I told them earlier that none of them were underclassmen in my eyes."

"We just had some much heart and intensity. We all had one goal and one focus," said Jamiel.

The win put KSC at 19-5 for the regular season, and 11-2 in the LEC, giving them the number two seed in the LEC tournament. The loss drops SMU to 22-2 overall, and 13-1 in the LEC. SMU was ranked sixth in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Division III women's basketball poll before the game.

Next on the agenda for both teams is the LEC tournament which, according to Barnes, could be trouble for the rest of the conference.

"We can definitely play better than we played tonight," she said.