Jan. 17, 2008
Box Score
DeLAND, Fla. - Two of the league's top scorers, Ronell Wooten and Garfield Blair, went head-to-head on Thursday night, but it was Blair's Stetson Hatters who knocked off the Owls, 66-54, at the Edmunds Center.
The Owls (3-14, 1-3 A-Sun), who were looking to win two straight games for the first time this season, jumped out to a strong start as they rolled to a, 9-2, lead less than four minutes into the game.
Tanner Jacobs (2-for-6) scored the first points of the night and after Stetson (7-10, 3-1 A-Sun) quickly tied the game, the Black and Gold went on a 7-0 run. Wooten, who was 14-of-17 from the foul line in the game, made three free throws and baskets by John Allison (1-for-3) and Shuan Stegall (3-for-11) stunned the Stetson crowd.
However, the Kennesaw State momentum quickly dissipated as the Owls went scoreless over the next seven minutes. Stetson would rattle off 18 of the next 20 points as KSU could only muster a pair of free throws from Wooten as the Hatters built a 20-11 lead.
J.D. Pollock (1-for-4) broke the field goal draught for the Owls as he hit a three-pointer with 3:08 left in the first half, the first basket since Stegall's shot at the 16:28 mark. The basket was the lone three-pointer of the first half and was one of four field goals made by KSU in the first 20 minutes as Stetson led 26-14 at the intermission.
Kennesaw State, who trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half and didn't score over the first four minutes of the second stanza, was able to cut the Stetson lead to nine points late. However, the Owls couldn't get any closer as Blair (5-for-11) scored 21 points including 13 in the second half as the Hatters won their third straight game.
Wooten (3-for-16) was the lone Kennesaw State player to score in double-figures as he eclipsed the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season. Jonathan Whipple (3-for-4) scored eight points and Keonte Keith added seven points.
Stetson had three players score in double-digits led by Blair. A.J. Smith (4-for-6) scored 12 points while Kris Thomas (4-for-10) added 10 points. Tim Lang (2-for-3) scored five points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Kennesaw State will be back in action on Saturday evening as they battle the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Alico Center. The game can be heard on SuperTalk 1230/1340 and can be seen on the web on A-Sun.TV.com.
