Women’s Basketball: Eastern Drops Conference Road Contest at Keene State

1/8/2026 6:10:00 PM | By: Alyssa French-Graham

Box Score
KEENE, N.H. — Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball fell to Keene State College, 62-56, in a Little East Conference match-up, Thursday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium.

The Warriors battled through four tightly contested quarters, with a second-half lead before Keene State closed the game at the free-throw line in the final minute. Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH) led Eastern with 15 points, while Maddie Topa (New Hartford) added 14 points and six rebounds in the road contest.

Game Information:

Score: Eastern Connecticut State University 56, Keene State College 62
Records: Eastern (5-8) (LEC 2-2), Keene State College (10-4) (LEC 4-1)
Location: Keene, NH | (Spaulding Gymnasium)

Key Moments:
First Quarter

Keene State opened up the first quarter with a 6-0 scoring run, leaving the Warriors to trail behind empty trips to the basket before Marissa Nudd (Colchester) broke the silence with a quick jumper and layup followed by a Liv Cassesse (Wallingford) floater to get the Warriors back within even play.
Through the end of the first, both teams traded blows, each managing to break through the other's defense with a series of mid-range shots and driving finishes to the basket. Though Eastern maintained a narrow three-point edge with Keene following closely, courtesy of Brynn Rautiola's jumper, sending the Warriors into the second quarter with an 18-15 lead.

Second Quarter

Keene State tied the game early in the as the Owls' Avery Stewart hit a commanding three within the first minute of the game. Topa stepped in with a layup to edge the Warriors by two, but the efforts were for not. Keene responded with two more sinking threes before the Warriors could find the basket again, heading into the final five minutes of the second quarter leading by eight.
Despite Eastern's fight to even score with of Katelyn Novak's (Colchester) and Alyssa Paquettes' respective threes, Keene's offensive pressure was relentless. Valerie Luizzi buried a three off of an Eastern dire misplay, and Stewtart came right behind her with another sinking long shot as the Owls wrapped the second half neatly with a lay-up at the buzzer, leading 36-30.

Third Quarter

Eastern came out blazing in the third, Marissa Nudd leading the charge with a quick trip to the basket, sparking Eastern's nine point scoring run, followed by Cassesse and Topa both knocking down crucial shots to put the Warriors back in front.
After their stretch of empty trips, Keene's Ruby Dasaro ended the Owl's slump with a jumper and a Luizzi layup, making it a one-point game for the owls, but not for long as Eastern piled on a series of layups to close the gap, thanks to Nudd, Cassesse, and Paquette dominating the paint, stretching the lead 47-42 heading into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

Eastern opened the fourth with a fast-break layup from Juliana Conte (Wakefield, MA) to extend the Warriors' late lead, but Keene immediately answered on the other end, slowly chipping away at the Warriors' lead, prioritizing interior scoring and free throws to erase the deficit taking a 50-49 advantage with just over eight minutes remaining.
Both teams traded possessions through the middle stretch before Keene State swiftly created separation behind the would be a game-deciding three from Luizzi though Eastern responded when Nudd connected beyond the arc off a Cassesse assist, trying to cut the margin with only five minutes remaining.
Paquette added a jumper with 1:25 remaining to put Eastern within four, and Topa followed with a steal and two made free throws to make it a two-point game, 58-56, with a minute to go.
Ultimately, the final minute belonged solely to Keene as Brynn Rautiola converted a driving layup and knocked down four free throws to close, shutting out the Warriors, and gaining their fourth conference victory of the season with a 62-56 final.

Stats:

Eastern Conn. St.: 23-64 FG (35.9%), 3-19 3PT (15.8%), 7-7 FT (100.0%)
Keene: 25-68 FG (36.8%), 7-29 3PT (24.1%), 5-8 FT (62.5%)
Rebounds: Eastern 38, Keene 38
Assists: Eastern 8, Keene 13
Turnovers: Eastern 14, Keene 12
Points in the Paint: Eastern 36, Keene 28
Second-Chance Points: Eastern 12, Keene 12
Fast Break Points: Eastern 10, Keene 11
Points off Turnovers: Eastern 12, Keene 8
Bench Points: Eastern 2, Keene 4

Game Notes:

Easter Connecticut State fell to Keene State 62-56, in a Little East Conference road match-up at Spaulding Gym.
Alyssa Paquette paced the Warriors with 15 points while adding three rebounds, shooting 5-5 from the free-throw line. Maddie Topa followed closely with 14 points and six rebounds.
Liv Cassesse finished with nine points and a game high of 17 rebounds and four assists. Marissa Nudd added 11 points and five rebounds, with a couple of key second-chance baskets.
Eastern shot 35.9% from the field and 15.8% from three-point range, while holding a 36-28 edge in points in the paint.
The Warriors matched Keene State on the boards with 38 rebounds apiece.
Eastern now holds a 2-2 in-conference record, while Keene rises with a 4-1 record in the Little East Conference.

Up Next:
Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball will travel to Plymouth State University on January 10th, 12:00 PM, at Foley Gymnasium.

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