Jan. 6, 2009
Box Score
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Kelvin McConnell scored 22 points and had a game-high four steals but it wasn't enough as the Kennesaw State men's basketball team dropped a 77-67 decision to Campbell on Monday night in an Atlantic Sun Conference game at the Pope Convocation Center.
McConnell scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, helping KSU stay in the contest. KSU never led and trailed 31-23 at halftime, but after a McConnell three-pointer, the lead was just five at 36-31 with just over 18 minutes to go in the game.
KSU stayed close, but with the lead at just eight, Campbell went on an 8-0 run to put the game away. Five of the points were scored by Jonathan Rodriguez, who tied McConnell for game-high scoring honors with 22.
With Campbell (5-8, 2-2 A-Sun) trying to salt the game away, KSU went on a late run to make things interesting. Down 73-58, McConnell made a pair of free-throws and Spencer Dixon scored five straight points to cut the lead to eight, 73-65. That would be as close as the Owls would get, as Rodriguez scored the final points of the game to give Campbell a 77-67 win.
The Owls (5-7, 1-2) were close to the Camels in the first half despite shooting just 7-of-24 from the field. Freshman Kurtis Woods was one of the primary reasons, scoring 10 points to lead KSU. Woods finished with 18 points while Dixon added 14 to join McConnell in double-digits.
Matt Gwynne scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for Campbell. The Camels out-rebounded the Owls 36-27 and out-scored KSU in the paint, 36-14.
The Owls finished the game shooting 21-of-52 for 40.4 percent from the field. KSU also buried nine three-pointers. In a match-up of the two teams with the best free-throw percentages in the A-Sun, it was the Owls who finished 16-of-20 for 80 percent, while Campbell closed the game at 19-of-26 for a 73.1 percentage.
The Owls will be back in action this Friday when they travel to Jacksonville, Fla., for an Atlantic Sun Conference game against North Florida. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
