Brooklyn Escapes with Win Over Keene St. to Advance
WESTMINSTER, Md. --Brooklyn College advanced to the ECAC Women's Basketball Championship game to face McDaniel College with a 65-61 win over Keene State College. The Bulldogs improved to 23-4 with the win, while Keene State ended its season at 19-11.
Anna Kitch led four Bulldogs in double figures with 17 points. She also had 15 rebounds to complete the double-double. Kitch was 6-of-14 from the field with a 3-pointer and 4-for-4 from the freethrow line.
Dior Dorsey and Aaliyah McCalla each finished with 12 points, while Brianna Jackson tallied 10. Dorsey also pulled down eight rebounds, a blocked shot, and three steals, while Jackson finished with eight assists.
Brynn Rautiola paced Keene State with 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Charlotte Buckley, Kate Canavan, and Avery Stewart added 10 points each for the Owls. Stewart also grabbed seven rebounds, as did Bella Schultz-Mitchell.
Brooklyn controlled the first quarter, leading 22-13 after the first 10 minutes. However, Keene State outscored Brooklyn 14-9 in the second period to close to within four at 31-27 at halftime.
Brooklyn scored 11 of the first 15 points of the third quarter to build a double-digit advantage. Ameea Daniel knocked down a 3-pointer with 7:04 left to give the Bulldogs a 42-31 lead.
Brooklyn remained in control in the third quarter, taking a 45-38 lead into the fourth.
In the final quarter, Keene State roared back, outscoring Brooklyn 9-2 in the first two minutes to tie the game. Kiley Bundy rattled home a 3-pointer to tie the game at 47 with 7:17 left in the game. Then, Charlotte Buckley hit a floater in the lane to give Keene State the lead at 49-47.
In the waning moments, Jackson tied the game and gave the Bulldogs a 58-57 lead, completing a three-point play with 2:04 left in the game. Dorsey added to the lead with a layup with less than a minute left.
Kitch got behind the Owls defense to roll in a layup with only 19 seconds left, giving the Bulldogs a 62-57 lead.
The Owls cut the lead to one possession with a layup by Rautiola with 13 seconds left. Bella Schultz-Mitchell kept the Owls' slim hopes alive with a layup with seven seconds left, but the Bulldogs put the game away from the freethrow line.