By: by Jason Hanes
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Kurtis Woods and Markeith Cummings each had a game-high 23 points for Kennesaw State, but Western Michigan used 17-of-19 shooting from the free-throw line in the second half to take a 72-74 win over the Owls on Saturday afternoon at Western Michigan University Arena.
"I thought we responded well and played great to start the second half, but we just didn't execute down the stretch," said KSU head coach Tony Ingle. "Western Michigan made the plays they needed to make down the stretch."
The Owls (4-6) got 10-of-18 shooting from Cummings and 9-of-15 shooting from Woods as the Owls overcame an early 11-point deficit with 5-of-7 shooting to take an 11-point lead in the second half. Western Michigan kept chipping away at the lead, using free-throws to chip KSU's lead down to six, 50-44.
KSU led by 10 after a dunk by Woods and a lay-up by Cummings made the score 54-44 with 11 minutes to go. With momentum on KSU's side, David Kool connected on a 3-pointer to spark a Broncos rally.
Ahead 57-50, the Owls saw Western Michigan (4-4) go on a 9-2 run to tie the game, 59-59, with 5:20 to go in the contest. The Broncos briefly regained the lead after two free-throws, but a Woods 3-pointer gave KSU a 62-61 advantage. The teams swapped baskets until Kool connected from 3-point range for the 12th and final lead change of the game, sparking a 9-0 run to close the contest and give the Broncos the win.
The Owls trailed 35-33 at the half, but overcame an early 11-point deficit to stay in the contest after the first 20 minutes. Cummings had 12 of his points in the first half on 5-of-9 shooting.
KSU will be back in action this Wednesday when KSU faces Georgia Tech. Tip time is set for 2 p.m. in Atlanta.
