KEENE, N.H. --   Behind senior forward Mike Garrow's (Terryville) double-double and effective free-throw shooting, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team overcame its largest halftime deficit of the season and remained unbeaten in the Little East Conference with a 72-69 victory over Keene State College Tuesday night at Spaulding Gymnasium.

At right: Trachone Preston

Garrow had a game-high 27 points and added ten rebounds and canned 13 of 15 free throws as Eastern (17-5, 11-0 Little East) erased a ten-point, 44-34 halftime deficit to remain two games ahead of defending champion Rhode Island College with three games remaining in the race for the LEC regular-season title and tournament's No. 1 seed. The Anchormen downed visiting Western Connecticut, 85-74, Tuesday night.

The conference's top freshman rebounder, forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, sophomore guard Trachone Preston (Enfield) adding 19 points and five rebounds and sophomore guard Kevin Leumene (Stamford) 11 points. Seven of Leumene's points came on eight free throw attempts.

A loser of four of its last five, Keene (7-14, 4-7 LEC) had the final two possessions of the game. Trailing by four with 20 seconds left, the Owls made one free throw to cut the deficit to three, then rebounded the missed second attempt to give themselves an opportunity to tie. Keene called time with 18.1 seconds left and after in-bounding, was forced to call a second timeout with 6.9 seconds left when Eastern's defense held firm. Keene then inbounded under its basket and took a corner three-pointer at the buzzer which bounced off the rim, and the Warriors rebounded as the horn sounded.

Behind Garrow and Leumene, the Warriors converted 27 of 33 free throws (outscoring the hosts by 15 from the line), turned the ball over only ten times and outrebounded Keene by six to overcome a season-worst field goal percentage of 33.3.

With senior guard Brian Salzillo (North Haven) and junior forward Brandon Yarborough (Stamford) not in uniform, all five Eastern starters logged well over 30 minutes. Garrow, Preston and Lindo combined to play all but seven minutes.

Eastern hosts Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday at 3 p.m.