By: by Scott Lipsky
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Quotes Notes
KENNESAW, Ga. – Spencer Dixon and Kelvin McConnell combined to score 47 points for the Kennesaw State Owls on Monday evening and led the Black and Gold to victory, taking down the USC Upstate Spartans, 78-71, at the KSU Convocation Center for their first Atlantic Sun Conference victory of the season. Dixon had 24 points while McConnell had 23.
The victory couldn’t come at a better time for the Owls (3-10, 1-2 A-Sun), who were victorious for the first time since their rousing, 80-63 win against Georgia Tech on Nov. 15. They went back and forth in the first half against the Spartans (2-11, 1-2 A-Sun), the lead changing hands on seven occasions, but head coach Tony Ingle’s squad was able to go into the locker room with a, 39-38, lead, thanks 59.3 percent shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes, their best shooting performance in a half this season. For Ingle, the strong start was what put them in position to come out with the win.
“We came out with confidence and played well as a team from the get-go. I thought that we turned it over too many times in the first half, but our defense was good enough to put us in front heading into the locker room,” Ingle said. “Our goal was to be ahead at the half and we did that. We played strong defense and got on the boards, especially Aaron Anderson. We put the ball in the hands of the right people and they found a way to win the game.”
The Owls began to build a cushion midway through the second half, when, leading 45-40, Anderson, who finished the night with a career-high 16 rebounds to go along with seven points, found a wide-open Dixon in the right corner with a pass out of the paint, who then calmly stroked in his three-point attempt to give the Owls a then-game high eight point lead with 16:22 remaining to cap off an 8-0 run.
The Owls lead would shift back and forth between four and nine points for the balance of the second half until the Black and Gold inserted the knock-out punch with just a few minutes to play. Up, 70-62, with 3:10 remaining in the game, McConnell, who got off to a great start by making three three-point baskets in the first half, dribbled across the lane and hit an off-balance, spinning, face-up, contested jump shot to give the Owls a 10-point and essentially put the game out of reach for the Spartans, who went just 13-for-31 from the field in the second half after shooting 50 percent in the first session.
The circus shot capped off an impressive, 9-for-14 shooting night for McConnell, who easily topped his 13-point effort against Northern Arizona on Nov. 22 to notch his season-high in scoring.
“My teammates did a great job looking for me early after I hit a couple of open shots,”
said McConnell, who had four three-point baskets on the evening. “My role on the team is to hit open shots, and everyone did a great job of sharing the ball tonight. I give them the credit for my success tonight.”
Markeith Cummings, who had led the Owls in scoring in each of the last three games, had 16 points to aid in the winning effort. He was also a force on the defensive end, forcing a career-high five steals.
The Spartans were led by freshman Torrey Craig, who kept his squad competitive with 25 points on the evening, the highest scoring output for the Spartans by a single player this season. Fellow freshman Babatunde Olumuyiwa, who entered the evening leading the A-Sun in blocks, lived up to his reputation on the glass, coming down with 10 rebounds and blocking two shots to go along with his 12 points.
The win snaps a 10-game slide for the Owls, which was the largest in program history. The win also snaps a three-game skid against the Spartans, whose two wins over the Owls last season sandwiched their six-game winning streak.
Kennesaw State will try and make it two in a row on Wednesday evening, when they take on the East Tennessee State Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
