Jan. 10, 2008
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - After a strong first half, the Owls went cold in the second half, as first-place Jacksonville stayed unbeaten in conference play, defeating Kennesaw State, 73-56, at the KSU Convocation Center.
The loss was the eighth straight for Kennesaw State (2-13, 0-2 A-Sun), who hasn't won since defeating Clark Atlanta on December 8. Jacksonville (6-8, 3-0) remains alone atop the A-Sun standings with their third consecutive conference win.
The Owls stayed close to the Dolphins early in the game and trailed by just six points, 36-30, at the break before Jacksonville went on a 9-2 run to start the second half. The Owls would cut the lead to 11 with a pair of Shuan Stegall (1-for-7) free-throws before a 14-3 run by Jacksonville put the game out of reach.
Kelvin McConnell (5-for-9) was the lone bright spot for Kennesaw State as the freshman scored a team-high 14 points including nine in the first half. Ronell Wooten (2-for-12) and Stegall combined for just 3-of-19 shooting and 13 points. Ryan Daugherty (4-for-9) was solid off the bench, scoring 10 points off the bench.
Jacksonville, who shot 57 percent from the field, had four players score in double-figures with reigning A-Sun Player of the Week Ben Smith (5-for-9) scoring a game-high 17 points while also dishing out 11 assists.
The Owls led once on the night, 2-0, after Tanner Jacobs (3-for-6) hit a short jumper at the 18:48 mark. The Dolphins took the lead on the next possession when Lehmon Colbert (6-for-14) hit a three-pointer and Jacksonville never trailed.
Kennesaw State will be back in action on Saturday evening as they host rival North Florida at 7:30 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center. The game will be shown live on the web on A-Sun.TV and it can also be heard on SuperTalk 1230/1340 AM.
