Jan. 16, 2009
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State freshman Kurtis Woods scored 18 points to lead the Owls, but a second half rally by Stetson gave the Hatters a, 69-52, win at the KSU Convocation Center on Friday evening.
In front of a swelled crowd on "White Out Night" it was a second half avalanche of scoring by Stetson (8-8, 5-3 A-Sun) that did in the Owls as KSU dropped its eighth straight game.
The Owls (5-10, 1-5 A-Sun) started out well in an impressive first half in which they led throughout. A tenacious offensive attack was highlighted when Woods (7-for-12) followed a missed jumper with a one-handed slam over a pair of Stetson defenders giving the Owls an eight-point lead with just over six minutes left in the first half.
Kennesaw State would take their biggest lead of the game, nine points, when Spencer Dixon (3-for-12) drained a three-pointer with just under three minutes to play, giving the Owls a 30-21 lead before KSU cruised to a 31-25 halftime advantage. Dixon would end the night close to his first career double-double as he scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds.
In the second half, the Owls quickly kept the lead at eight points when Jonathan Whipple (4-for-6, 9 pts) hit a runner to give the Black and Gold a 35-27 lead with 18:39 left to play. However, threat would be the final bright spot for KSU as Stetson went on an 18-0 run over the next six minutes.
Five missed shots and six turnovers later the Owls found themselves trailing 45-35, before Woods stopped the damage with a lay-up. However, the burst was short-lived as the Hatters retaliated with an 8-0 burst to go up by 16 points.
"We played well tonight except for a stretch of about 10 minutes," said Kennesaw State head coach Tony Ingle. "They [Stetson] are a veteran team and stayed composed throughout the game. We're a bit younger and weren't as composed at times."
The Owls were able to trim the lead to 12 points with 4:39 after a Dixon lay-up was followed by a steal by Kelvin McConnell. But, an open three-pointer by Dixon fell just short and the Owls wouldn't come within single digits the rest of the way.
Sheldon Oliver led all scorers with 20 points while Garfield Blair dropped in 15 points for Stetson who won their second straight game.
Jay Mitchell made his Kennesaw State debut in the game. The Texas Tech transfer played 10 minutes and had a rebound and a blocked shot while going 0-for-2 from the field.
The Owls will be back in action on Sunday afternoon when they host Florida Gulf Coast in a 3:00 p.m. tip-off at the KSU Convocation Center. Craig Corbin and Scott Webb will carry all the action live on WFOM-1230 AM.
