Jan. 24, 2008
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Ronell Wooten scored a game-high 30 points, but it was the lone three-pointer by freshman Kelvin McConnell with eight seconds remaining that was the biggest shot of the night as Kennesaw State stunned Belmont, 81-79, before a thundering crowd of 1,289 fans at the KSU Convocation Center.
McConnell, a freshman from Powder Springs, Ga., hit the game winning shot after taking a pass from Jonathan Whipple from the right wing. The lofty three-pointer, his only three of the game, bounced twice of the rim before rattling home with just over eight seconds left to play.
"When Polo (Jonathan Whipple) got me the ball, I was open and felt confident that I could make the shot," said McConnell. "But, when it bounced around I got a little scared and thought to myself please let this fall in."
The win was the second consecutive home win for the Owls and snapped a two-game losing streak as they upended a Bruins team that was No. 128 in the RPI rankings.
"Belmont is a great team and this is a great win for us," added McConnell. "This was a good test for us and we passed it, now we have to continue the momentum for the rest of the season."
The Owls (4-15, 2-4 A-Sun) took it to the second-place Bruins from the outset and built an 18-point lead in the second half courtesy of a ferocious offense that saw the Owls shot a season-best 54.8% from the field.
"We had a tremendous night shooting," said Owls head coach Tony Ingle. "But, it was a great team effort all the way around. We were well prepared and our guys came to play. We worked hard and it paid off."
Kennesaw State held the Bruins at arms length in the second half before Belmont (12-8, 4-2 A-Sun) rallied at the 12:30 mark. Trailing 66-48, the Bruins chipped away at the Owls lead, taking a one-point lead when Shane Dansby (6-for-12) hit a three-pointer with 1:30 remaining.
Wooten (12-for-18) gave the Owls a lead, 78-77, when he hit a short jumper from the left side before Dansby raced down the court for a lay-up that gave Belmont a one-point lead before McConnell became the night's hero.
Wooten's 30-point effort was his best of the season and was just one shy of his career mark. Shuan Stegall (8-for-15), who scored 18 points, was just one assist away from becoming the first-ever Kennesaw State player to record a triple-double. The senior from Atlanta had 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in his perhaps his finest all-around game for the Owls.
"Shuan played a great game for us tonight," added Ingle. "He scored, rebounded played good defense and was a key factor in the outcome."
Belmont had four players score in double-figures as they shot 50% from the floor as a team. In addition to Dansby's 16 points, Alex Renfroe and Justin Hare scored 13 points while Keaton Belcher scored 12 points on four three-pointers.
The Owls will be back in action on Saturday evening as they host Lipscomb at 7:30 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center. The game be heard on 1230/1340 AM and can be seen on the web at ASun.TV.
Saturday' game is "Black Out Night" with the first 500 fans in attendance receiving black Kennesaw State T-Shirts.
