By: by Scott Lipsky
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Spencer Dixon came through in the clutch once again, hitting his second game-winner of the season in thrilling fashion, as the Kennesaw State Owls took down the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 69-68, at the KSU Convocation Center for their second straight victory.
After trailing by as many as eight points in the second half, the Owls (7-17, 5-9 A-Sun) battled back to lead by as many as eight, but they were in for a fight until the very end. Up, 66-58, with 4:22 remaining, Florida Gulf Coast (6-17, 3-11 A-Sun) went on 10-0 run to give themselves the lead for the 11th time in the ball game after a jumper by Christophe Varidel made it, 68-66, with 24 seconds left.
Armed with plenty of time to make a play, Dixon, who finished with 18 points and was one of four Owls to score in double figures, brought the ball and surveyed the defense, and as time started to wind down, he took action, making a move as if he was going to drive before stepping back and launching a three-point attempt that was nothing but net.
“Coach [Tony] Ingle has been working with me on my composure and keeping me level headed for these types of situations,” said Dixon, who made a driving layup at the buzzer to lift the Owls over Stetson on Jan. 16. “If the coaches and players feel confident enough to put the ball in my hands then I have to be confident. It is my basketball mentality.”
Still with 3.2 seconds remaining on the clock, the Eagles had an opportunity to win the game, but a three-point attempt by Varidel was off the mark and the Black and Gold were victorious for the second straight game.
“I am proud of our basketball team. It was a total team effort tonight,” Owls head coach Tony Ingle said. “We came out played solid in the first half. In the second half we didn’t convert as much as we wanted to, but the guys kept their composure. The guys kept playing defense. We left it up to Spencer at the end to drive or hit that step back three. He is a champion and we believe in him. He hit it and everyone is happy.”
The Owls trailed 35-34 at halftime, but had reason to believe that they had every chance to win the game. Owls sophomore Markeith Cummings, their leading scorer, went just 2-for-9 with four points in the first half, and the team didn’t have a single free throw attempt during the first 20 minutes after going to the line 36 times against Campbell on Monday evening.
The night was also an incredibly historic one for the Owls, as Cummings, who finished with 14 points, and senior captain Kelvin McConnell, who had 19 points to lead all scorers, both reached the 1,000 point milestone for their careers, becoming just the 12th and 13th players to accomplish the feat in the history of the program. Cummings hit the mark on a free throw with 7:15 remaining in the game, while McConnell made his fifth three of the night on the Owls very next possession with 6:07 left to reach the milestone.
LaDaris Green had his third consecutive double-double and seventh of the season on Thursday evening, scoring 13 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. His nine offensive rebounds largely led to 17 second-chance points for the Black and Gold, strongly contribution to the victory.
Green also added five assists on the night, tying a career-high that he set against Georgia Tech on Nov. 15. Spencer Dixon led the way in that category for the Owls with six.
With the win, the Owls move up to seventh place in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings. They are currently a half game in front of Stetson and Campbell, who both lost on Thursday night and are tied for the final spot in the A-Sun Tournament.
Anthony Banks led the Eagles with 17 points, while Varidel added 15. Forward Kevin Cantinol was the third FGCU player to score in double figures, with 12 points.
The Owls swept the season series against FGCU, having beaten them, 81-70, on the road on Jan. 14. They are now 4-0 all-time against the Eagles at KSU Convocation Center, and 6-2 overall in the season series.
The Black and Gold take to the court in another crucial A-Sun matchup on Saturday, when they host the Stetson Hatters at 7:30 p.m.
