By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score Game Notes
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls showed their flair for the dramatic once again on Saturday evening, using another game-winning shot in the waning moments to take down the Stetson Hatters, 67-65, at the KSU Convocation Center.
With the game tied at 65 with 42 seconds remaining, Stetson (7-20, 5-11 A-Sun) came out of a timeout with a chance to take the lead. A pass was deflected, however, with 31 seconds left, and Artie Marine grabbed the ball for the Owls (8-17, 6-9 A-Sun), eventually landing in the hands of Kelvin McConnell, who handed it to point guard Spencer Dixon, who calmly brought the ball over half court and let the second tick down.
Finally, with under 10 seconds left, Dixon, who made the game-winning layup against Stetson the last time they played on Jan. 16 and made a step-back three in the closing seconds to defeat Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, let fly a floater from close range. The ball rattled out, of the basket, but Owls sophomore LaDaris Green, who had his fourth consecutive double-double on Saturday, was right there, tipping the ball in as the buzzer sounded for the game-winning points and his eighth offensive rebound of the game. The play was reviewed by the officials, who determined that the shot went off before time expired, and the Owls had won their third straight game.
“I didn’t care who made the final basket, I just wanted it to go in,” said Green, who currently leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in rebounding. “I wanted the ball, and when Spencer [Dixon] drove and missed I went for the ball and was able to get the tip-in.”
That the Owls were right there at the end was a testament to their perseverance. They began the game shooting just 3-for-20 from the floor, and trailed by 12 on two occasions in the first half, but were able to keep the Hatters from putting the game out of reach thanks in large part to their solid free throw shooting to start the game, making 11 of their first 13 attempts from the charity stripe. They went into halftime trailing, 32-27, with Owls sophomore Markeith Cummings scoring 10 points in the first half, finishing with a game-high 22 points, one of three Owls in double-figures.
The Black and Gold took the lead for the first time with 15:42 left in the game, when McConnell made a one-handed floater from just in front of the free throw line. The lead would be short-lived, however, as Stetson exploded, going on a 10-0 run over the next 2:26 on the strength of a pair of two three-point baskets by Luis Jacobo, who led the Hatters with 18 points on the evening, to put them firmly in front once again.
The Owls deficit would balloon back to 12 points with 11:01 remaining in the game, when the Black and Gold went on another run, outscoring Stetson 9-2 over the next 1:35, starting with a three-pointer by Artie Marine, who had a career-high 12 points on the evening.
Still trailing, 56-55, with 7:33 left, Marine would put the Owls up once again, nailing his fourth three of the game. The lead would flip-flop back and forth six more times, with four more ties mixed in, setting up the dramatic finish.
“This team just refused to lose tonight. Artie came in and gave us a spark, and it was so good to see,” Owls head coach Tony Ingle said. “Overall, we did well and found a way to win. LaDaris’ tip at the buzzer was sensational, but tonight Artie was also a hero.”
Green finished the night with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cummings added eight rebounds to his 22-point performance.
The win put the Owls just a game out of sixth place in the A-Sun, trailing North Florida, in the race for seeding in the A-Sun Tournament. They take to the court next on Tuesday, when they travel to Mercer at 7:00 p.m.
