Nov. 29, 2008
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga.--Sophomore Kelvin McConnell sank five three-pointers en route to a game-high 19 points as the Kennesaw State men's basketball team improved to two games over .500 for the first time since joining Division I with a 64-49 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday night at the KSU Convocation Center.
"In the second half, [UMES] was able to start building a lead, so I thought we needed to try something different defensively so we went to a full-court trap," said KSU head coach Tony Ingle. "The players seemed to really respond to it. We caused some turnovers and started making some big shots, and we used that momentum to give us the lead."
For the second straight game, the Owls scored 20 points in the first half, but this time, they were trailing the Hawks, 22-20. After UMES jumped out to its largest lead of the game at 30-24 on a basket by Tyler Hines, the Owls used a 7-1 run, capped by a jumper from senior J.D. Pollock, to tie the score at 31-all with 14:46 to go.
After UMES retook the lead, 35-33, McConnell went to work from beyond the arc, draining a pair of three's to put KSU ahead to stay, 39-36. His second shot from long distance sparked an 8-0 run, capped by a three-pointer for freshman Brnadon Chambers, giving KSU a 44-36 advantage.
The Hawks would ppull within three at 46-43 with 7:49 remaining, but that would be as close as the visitors would get for the rest of the game. The Owls surged forward, going on an 11-2 run capped with a made triple try by McConnell to give the Owls a 57-45 lead with just over two minutes to go.
The Owls committed a season-low eight turnovers for the game while forcing UMES into 19 for the contest. KSU took advantage of the turnovers, scoring 18 points off of Hawks miscues. The Owls also had 17 points from their bench, while all of the points for the Hawks came from starters.
Jon-Michael Nickerson scored 11 poitns and fell a rebound shy of a double-double. Jonathan Whipple scored nine points off the bench for the Owls and earned three steals. Pollock had nine points and three steals on the night, tying for team-high honors with three assists.
A trio of Hawks scored in double-figures, led by Hines' 16. Hines also had a double-double, getting 10 rebounds on the night.
The Owls will be back in action on Monday night when they host USC Upstate in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
