By: by Scott Lipsky
Full Canada 2010 Coverage
KING CITY, Ontario- Kelvin McConnell made five three-pointers and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line, as the Kennesaw State Owls closed out their five-game tour of Canada with a, 75-70, win over Guelph Phoenix on Wednesday evening. The victory gave the Owls a 4-1 record for the tour.
The Owls led by as many as 13 points in the game and were up 37-28 at halftime, but had to battle against a valiant effort by Guelph in the second half, the only team that beat them during week in a 79-72 decision on Saturday.
Up seven with about eight minutes to play, the Phoenix made a three pointer to make it a 55-51 contest. The two teams would trade buckets over the next few possessions, with layups by Artie Marine and Andrew Osemhen being sandwiched by a pair of layups, three made three throws and three point basket by Guelph to give them the lead, 61-59, with 4:29 remaining in the game.
With the game tied at 63, sophomore transfer Aaron Anderson put head coach Tony Ingle’s squad up for good with a pair of free throws, two of 15 points he would score on the game, a high for him during the week.
Still up two with 1:41 remaining in the game, Anderson pulled down a big offensive rebound on the left side of the paint, which would eventually result in two made free throws by McConnell and give the Owls a two-possession lead.
The Owls first took control of the game early in the second quarter, when, leading 12-11 at the end of one, they went on a 15-1 run to open up a commanding, 25-12, lead. Osemhen and McConnell were the stars of the show during that period of the game, with the freshman big man kicking it out to McConnell on the perimeter for a pair of threes and putting down a big dunk during the stretch. Osemhen was all over the stat sheet on Wednesday evening, finishing with four points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
McConnell, a senior, would finish with 24 points to lead the team in scoring. He was the only Owl to connect from long range on Wednesday evening, making all five of his three-pointers in the first half.
Junior Spencer Dixon led the team in both rebounding and assists, with seven and eight, respectively, to go along with eight points. It was the only game on the tour for Dixon in which he did not score in double figures. Sophomore Markeith Cummings notched 16 points on the game to go along with five rebounds.
“Tonight our guys really came out and played hard, and it felt especially good to beat a team that had already beaten us on this trip,” Ingle commented. “Several of our players came out and made some big plays when we really needed them. There was a lot to be excited about with our performance tonight.”
The game was played under unusual circumstances, as a dunk by one of the Guelph players during warm-ups smashed a backboard, forcing the teams to play on a side court. That was compounded by the wireless shot clocks not working correctly, forcing the referees to call out the shot clock for part of the game before abandoning it completely towards the end.
The Owls play their next game as a full squad on November 2 when they take on LaGrange College in an exhibition game at the KSU Convocation Center at 7:30 p.m.
Box Score (Points-Rebounds-Assists- Blocks-Steals)
Markeith Cummings- 16-5-2-1-2
Kelvin McConnell- 24-1-3-0-0
Spencer Dixon- 8-7-8-0-1
Aaron Anderson-15-6-0-2-1
Mirza Sabic- 0-2-0-1-0
Artie Marine- 8-4-1-1-0
Romain Henry- 0-2-1-0-0
Andrew Osemhen- 4-3-2-1-1
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| Kelvin McConnell warms up before the Owls last game on Wednesday night |
The two teams switch to an alternate court after a backboard shatters prior to the game |
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| Coach Ingle addresses the fans back home after Wednesday night's win |
Spencer Dixon, Artie Marine and Romain Henry enjoy breakfast before their final full day in Canada |
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| Romain Henry takes part in a card trick with a street performer in downtown Toronto after Wednesday night's game |
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