KEENE, N.H. - Junior forward Cameron Gallon (York, Pa.) got off to a hot start and finished with a team-high 15 points but it wasn't enough as the second-seeded Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team suffered an 84-68 loss at top-seeded Keene State College in the Little East Conference Championship game on Saturday afternoon.

Despite splitting the regular season series, it marked the second consecutive loss in the title game for the Wolves at the Owls' site. WestConn dropped to 22-5 overall while 11th-ranked Keene State improved to 24-3, claiming the LEC crown and the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. 

Junior guard Keeshawn Jones (Middletown, N.Y.) and classmate forward Jourdan Belcher (Elmsford, N.Y.) joined Gallon in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Belcher added a team-high eight rebounds.

Nate Siow led the Owls with a game-high 22 points, while Jeff Hunter added a double-double with 16 points and 15 boards. Octavio Brito notched eight points and pulled down a game-high 17 off the glass.

The WestConn reserves outscored the Keene State bench, 33-12. However, the Wolves defensive pressure was unable to create the turnover discrepancy it had capitalized on much of the campaign. They forced 17 turnovers but coughed the ball up 13 times themselves. The Wolves shot 34 percent from the floor for the game, while the Owls connected on 44 percent of their attempts.

Gallon netted WestConn's first three baskets before a driving layup from rookie guard C.J. Riley (Yonkers, N.Y.) gave the visitors an early 13-12 lead. The contest was deadlocked at 26-26 before Keene tallied five-straight, seizing a 31-26 halftime advantage courtesy of a Hunter layup.

The Wolves hung around early in the second stanza. But the hosts gradually built up a double digit lead before widening the gap to as many as 22 as they cruised the rest of the way. Despite the loss, WestConn notched its second consecutive 20-win season. The NCAA selection show will be held on Monday afternoon.