By: by Scott Lipsky
Full Canada 2010 Coverage
MISSISSAUGUA, Ontario- The Kennesaw State Owls men’s basketball team continued their solid play this week, defeating LTD Toronto, 81-78, for their second win in three tries on their week-long, five-game tour of Canada. Markeith Cummings had 28 points to lead all scorers for the third straight game.
Coming off of an off-day in which the Owls nearly witnessed a no-hitter by Brandon Morrow at the Toronto Blue Jays game, head coach Tony Ingle’s squad came into Monday evening rested and ready to play at a high energy level. The pace of the game indicated that, with much of it being played at a fast pace with plenty of transition baskets and fast-break opportunities by both sides.
Playing under FIBA rules, which include four 10-minute quarters, the two squads went back and forth for most of the game. The Owls finally created some space between themselves and their opponents with a 13-3 run that spanned the last minute of the third quarter and first three minutes of the fourth.
Up 72-60 with 7:08 remaining in the game, LTD Toronto, whose roster includes five former NCAA Division I players, got right back in it with a 10-0 run of their own with five of their points coming from forward Brad Smith, who had 27 points to lead LTD on the evening, to make it 72-70 with 4:45 left in the game.
Following a layup by Owls guard Spencer Dixon, Aaron Anderson made a great hustle play when he beat out a group of LTD players for a loose ball on the floor and flipped it up the court, leading to another basket by Dixon, who had 18 points for the third consecutive game.
The play by Anderson depicted his evening in microcosm, as the sophomore transfer had several key defensive plays, both in transition and in the paint, and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with six points.
“It’s been really exciting to be out there with my new teammates, and I know that if I keep my focus on defense and rebounding I’ll be able to stay out on the floor, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Senior guard Kelvin McConnell dropped three three-pointers on the evening en-route to a 15 point performance, while junior forward Artie Marine had his second straight game in double figures, notching 10 points in the contest.
After Smith’s 27, LTD Toronto was also led by former University of Houston player Tristan Martin, who had 16.
The Owls will take on LTD Mississaugua on Tuesday evening on the campus of the University of Toronto-Mississaugua. The squad will be made up of several players that were on the floor on Monday evening, as both squads are part of Bill Crowdis’ Long Term Development Sports franchise. Tip-off on Tuesday evening is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Kennesaw State Owls- Scoring
Markeith Cummings- 28
Spencer Dixon- 18
Kelvin McConnell- 15
Artie Marine- 10
Aaron Anderson- 6
Romain Henry- 2
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| Concordia University (Montreal) head coach John Dore discusses some of the key differences between American and Canadian college basketball. |
Markeith Cummings talks about Sunday's day off. |
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| Owls guard Romain Henry discusses Monday night's 81-78 win over LTD Toronto |
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