Feb. 14, 2008
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - All five Kennesaw State starters scored in double figures and Tanner Jacobs came up with his second straight double-double as the Owls upended Stetson, 75-67, at the KSU Convocation Center on Thursday night.
"We played very well tonight and I am really proud of our guys," said head coach Tony Ingle. "We gave it to the right people at the right times and everyone responded."
The Owls (7-19, 4-8 A-Sun) out-shot and out-rebounded the Hatters as they snapped their four-game losing streak. In the process, the Black and Gold also ending Stetson's brief, two-game, winning streak. KSU shot 46.7 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Hatters by a 36-31 margin.
"We haven't out-rebounded someone in a while," added Ingle. "It was one of our keys tonight and we went out and did it."
The back-and-forth affair saw 10 ties and eight lead changes, but it was the Owls who led for most of the game including all but 20 seconds of the second half. Stetson (12-14, 7-5 A-Sun) took their only second half lead on an Eric Diaz lay-up at the 7:44 mark.
Kennesaw State answered right back, however, as Ronell Wooten, who scored 12 points, gave the Owls their final lead of the night on a jumper from the elbow with 7:24 left in the game. Shuan Stegall (6-for-11), who scored all of his 14 points in the second half, and J.D. Pollock followed with baskets as KSU took a 60-55 lead with 5:57 remaining.
The Hatters made one more run at the Owls late in the game as a 6-0 run over the final two minutes cut a 69-61 Kennesaw State lead to a basket with 39 seconds left in the game.
The Black and Gold held on in the final seconds as the KSU freshmen solidified the victory. Jacobs (5-for-7) and Kelvin McConnell (5-for-8), made all six of their free throws in the final seconds. McConnell led the Owls in scoring for the fourth time this season while Jacobs came up with his second consecutive double-double.
Stetson's Garfield Blair also picked up a double-double, scoring a game-high 24 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Blair scored 20 of his points in the second half as he went 7-for-11 from the field.
"He [Blair] was tough to stop tonight," commented Ingle. "He is such a good player, we tried so many defenses on him and when we went to a zone that seemed to stop him."
The Owls will conclude their home season on Saturday evening when they host Florida Gulf Coast on Senior Night. Kennesaw State will honor its senior class of Ronell Wooten and Shuan Stegall before the 7:30 tip-off versus the Eagles.
