By: KSU Sports Information
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Postgame Notes
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Spencer Dixon led all scorers with 22 points to go along with eight assists on Monday evening, leading three Kennesaw State Owls in double figures, but a 14-2 run by the East Tennessee State Bucs early in the second half extinguished an 11-point lead, eventually resulting in a, 73-69 defeat at the MSHA Athletic Center in an Atlantic Sun Conference match-up.
"I thought this was the best 40 minutes we put in all year, what i'm most disappointed about the fact that we couldn't make a few open shots here and there when they went on their big runs," Owls head coach Lewis Preston remarked after the game. "We'll continue to get better and build off of this and be ready for our next game on Friday."
Kennesaw State (3-14, 0-6 A-Sun) led, 31-23, at halftime, on the strength of 13-for-23 shooting including 4-for-6 beyond the arc by Dixon, while holding the Bucs (8-7, 3-2 A-Sun) to 8-for-23 from the field during the first 20 minutes.
The Black and Gold led from the time a Delbert Love jump shot off a Dixon pass made it 11-9 with 12:01 remaining in the half until a Sheldon Cooley three gave the Bucs a, 41-40, lead with 11:45 left in the game. The assist was one of five for Dixon in the second half, who shot just 2-for-9 after halftime after his hot start.
“They started out in a zone, so that was the best way to attack it, with outside shooting, and early on the shots were falling,” said Dixon, who has made at least three field goals from three point range on seven occasions this season. “After halftime, they switched to more man-to-man, but I was still able to get some looks, they just stopped falling, so I was more aggressive with getting into the paint as well as getting some of my other teammates the ball in spots where they could make shots.”
Still up, 54-53, with 5:34 left, the Owls surrendered 10 unanswered points to the Bucs over the next 3:34, Adam Sollazzo scoring five of his team-leading 20 points during that stretch. The Black and Gold would score 15 points over the last two minutes of play, but 8-for-10 free throw shooting down the stretch would seal it for the Bucs, who have now won three in a row. Of those 15 points, it was Dixon who scored six of them, stopping the clock on three occasions by getting to the foul line, extending the game and keeping the Owls in it to the end.
"East Tennessee State made two big runs in the second half and that kind of took the air out of us, but we fought until the very end, and i'm pleased about that," Preston continued. "That's all we can ask for in a hostile envorinment against a team that's very tough to beat on the road."
Markeith Cummings (17 points) and Delbert Love (12) joined Dixon in double figures for the Owls, who have now dropped five straight.
The Bucs saw five players score in double figures, headed by Sollazzo, who also had a team-high five assists, and followed by Tommy Hubbard (15 points), Jarvis Jones (13), Sheldon Cooley (12) and Isiah Brown (10). Hubbard added 11 rebounds on the evening for the lone double-double in the contest.
The Owls are back in action on Friday evening, when they visit the Mercer Bears. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
