Feb. 26, 2009
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Kennesaw State trailed by just nine at halftime, but East Tennessee State pulled away for an 81-46 win over the Owls on Thursday night at the Memorial Center in an Atlantic Sun Conference game.
The Owls trailed in the first half by as many as 13 as the Bucs jumped out to a 25-12 lead. Kennesaw State would battle back as the Black and Gold went on a 15-2 run against one of the best teams in the Atlantic Sun. Zadrian Gibson was one of the driving forces behind the run, coming up with four offensive rebounds and six points during the run.
ETSU (19-10, 13-6) would rally in the late stages of the half, holding the Owls scoreless over the last five minutes of the half to take a 34-25 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Owls (7-21, 3-16) matched ETSU in the first three minutes point-for-point, but the Bucs scored the next six points to open up a 15-point lead. The Owls continued to struggle from the field as the Bucs forced 11 turnovers in the second half.
The Owls were held to just 6-of-30 shooting in the second half, including 3-of-16 from three-point range. ETSU shot 16-of-33 in the second half to finish at 30-of-61 for the contest.
Kurtis Woods led the Owls with 12 points, while Gibson scored nine and had a game-high nine rebounds.
Coutney Pigram was one of four Bucs in double-figures in scoring with 16 points. Jarvis Jones matched a career-high with 13 points, while Adam Sollazzo and Kevin Tiggs each had 11.
KSU will return to action on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the final game of the 2008-09 season. The Owls will face USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C.
