WESTFIELD, Mass. –   Keene State ran out to a big first half lead en route to an 86-71 win over Westfield State in the season opening men's basketball game for both teams.

Keene State (1-0) was led by 22 points each from Octavio Brito (Lincoln, RI) and Jeff Hunter (Hudson, Mass./Assabet Valley)  Keene shot a blistering 55 percent from the floor, and 52.9 percent  (10-19) from behind the arc in the first half and led 55-34 at the break.

KSC extended its lead to as many as 28 points in the second half, leading 68-40 after Hunter went 1-2 at the line with 13:38 to play.  

Westfield chipped away at the lead in the second half with a better defensive effort, limiting Keene to just 33 percent from the floor, and trimmed the lead to as few as 14 points, 81-67 on a Kinglsey Cockburn (East Hartford, Conn.) jumper with 2:58 left in the game.

Keene answered a possession later with a dunk from Brito to bump the lad back to 16, and maintained a comfortable lead to the end.

Westfield (0-1) was led by 12 points and three assists from senior guard Jeremy Remigio (Santo Domingo, PR/Providence Central HS).  He finished as the only Owl in double figures in the scoring column as Joseph Meade (Westfield, Mass.) added eight points, and Timmy Jacobus (Curacao/Lake Worth Christian (FL)) and Lance Lennon (Reading, PA/Lancaster Country Day) seven.  

Brito, Hunter, and Jeric Cichon (Springfield, Mass./E. Longmeadow)  each finished with a game-high nine rebounds for Keene. Keene out rebounded Westfield 46-30 overall and KSC garnered 18 offensive rebounds.

The game was played in front of a robust crowd of more than 700, to see the season opener for two teams picked to win their respective conferences – Westfield the MASCAC, and Keene State the Little East.

Westfield will travel to the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament at UMass-Dartmouth the weekend, facing Kean (NJ) University on Friday at 5:00 p.m.