Nov. 13, 2007
Box Score
AUBURN, Ala. - Ronell Wooten scored a game-high 23 points including five three-pointers in the second half, but it wasn't enough for Kennesaw State as the Owls fell to Auburn, 74-62, at the Beard-Eves Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday night.
Trailing by 15 points at halftime, the Owls (0-2) were sparked by their sharp-shooting senior as he pumped in 19 points in the second half to bring the Owls within striking distance of the Tigers.
"Ronell played a great game," said head coach Tony Ingle. "We're glad that he caught fire in the second half. He has the ability to carry a team on his shoulders when he gets hot."
Wooten and Keonte Keith scored in double figures for the Owls. Keith scored 13 points and both he and Wooten had three steals each. Kennesaw State had 11 steals on the night and caused 23 Auburn turnovers.
"I'm proud of our defensive intensity and how hard we fought back in the second half," added Ingle. "We never quit, we never we gave up."
The Owls trailed by 25 points at the 13:06 mark of the second half before slicing into the Auburn lead and coming within 12 points at the two-minute mark of the game. Kennesaw State had a pair of possessions to cut the Auburn lead under 10 points, but a turnover and a pair of missed shots prevented the Owls from making a final run.
Auburn (1-1) had six players score in double figures and were led by a trio of players, Korvotney Barber, Frank Tolbert and Rasheem Barrett, with 12 points.
Auburn shot 57 percent from the field, the Owls connected for just 41percent and both teams were below 50 percent from the free-throw line with the Owls shooting 44.4 percent and the Tigers missing 13 of 22 foul shots for a 40.9 percentage.
Tanner Jacobs was strong inside for the Owls, scoring eight points on 4-for-8 shooting and also added seven rebounds. Jonathan Whipple scored five points and added eight rebounds.
The Owls will be back at home for their first game of the season at the KSU Convocation Center when they host the 100 Club Classic beginning on Friday. The Owls will take on Jacksonville State at 7:30 p.m. The first game of the tournament will feature Colgate and Texas State at 5:00 p.m.
