By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score Post-Game Notes
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Kennesaw State Owls fell behind early and couldn’t close the gap, falling to the East Tennessee Bucs, 93-62, in an Atlantic Sun Conference game on Saturday afternoon at the MSHA Athletic Center, to drop their fourth straight game. Owls sophomore Markeith Cummings continued his strong play offensively, finishing with a game-high 29 points.
The Owls (5-16, 3-8 A-Sun) tied a season-high by allowing the Bucs (15-8, 10-2 A-Sun) to score 55-first half points on 64.7 percent shooting (22-for-34), and trailed, 55-29, heading into the locker room. They hung with ETSU in the opening minutes, trailing just 19-12 with 14:10 left in the half before the Bucs went on an 11-0 run over the next 5:35 that quickly made the game a one-sided affair.
“Bottom line is, we just didn’t play very well as a team today. This is a team game, and it’s just unfortunate that we didn’t play as hard or as smart or as together or as we can,” Owls head coach Tony Ingle said. “We made some adjustments during the second half, but once again, you’ve got to be effective for an entire game. We have some good people on this team, but we have to play as one.”
Down by 26 at the half, the Black and Gold dug in and matched the Bucs almost basket-for-basket the rest of the way. They would be outscored during the second 20 minutes just 38-33 in a span that included an 11-0 run for the Owls, and held the Bucs scoreless for the final 3:23.
Joining Cummings’ in double figures was Spencer Dixon, who had 10 points. The performance for Cummings was the fourth straight in which he’s scored 20 or more points, an Owls record in the Division I record. It is the 20th time he has done that in his career, joining Ronell Wooten as the only Owl to accomplish the feat that many times in DI era, which began during the 2005-2006 season.
ETSU was led by Mike Smith, who had 27 points for the Bucs, who have now won three of their last four games. Micah Williams added 22 for ETSU. Isiah Brown had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the game’s lone double-double.
Overall, ETSU shot a scorching-hot 62.3 percent from the floor (38-for-61), a season-high for the club and the second time this season in which they’ve shot over 60 percent. It was the first time the Owls allowed a club to shoot over 60 percent from the floor this season.
The 29-point performance for Cummings tied his season-high, first reaching the number against Chattanooga on Nov. 17.
On the boards, the Black and Gold lost the battle to the Bucs, 39-28, with Cummings also leading the way in that category for the Owls with five.
Kennesaw State takes to the floor again on Monday evening when they visit the USC Upstate Spartans. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
