By: KSU Sports Information
Box Score
Postgame Notes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a fight to the finish at UNF Arena on
Saturday evening, with Delbert Love leading five Kennesaw State Owls in double figures with 19 points, but a late layup and a pair of late free throws would end their chances for a thrilling road win, falling just short to the North Florida Ospreys, 81-77 in double overtime.
In a game that featured 14 ties and 14 lead changes, the Owls (3-25, 0-15 Atlantic
Sun Conference) had their best opportunity to come away with the win at the end of the first overtime, when, tied at 69 with time running down, Delbert Love took a mid-range jumper from the left wing that just missed off the back rim as time expired.
Love was the reason the game was in overtime to begin with, as he caught an inbounds pass from underneath the basket with two seconds left in regulation and drained a three to tie the game.
Markeith Cummings, who finished with 18 points, would drill a three from the left side with 31 seconds to go in the first over time to make it, 69-68, but David Jeune made one of two free throws to tie it. It was Cummings once again who provided the dramatics in the second extra session, making a three from almost the exact same spot, this time with 31 seconds left on the clock, to tie it at 77.
The Ospreys (14-14, 8-8 A-
Sun) would take the lead for good the next time down the floor, however, with a Travis Wallace layup, who received a precision pass from Will Wilson as he cut to the basket for a nearly uncontested score. After the Owls turned the ball over with 3 seconds to play, Jerron Granberry would make a pair of free throws to seal it for UNF.
“All of our guys played their tails off tonight, we just couldn’t get a critical rebound or make a play when it was absolutely needed,” Owls head coach Lewis Preston said. “I’m proud of the way they competed throughout the evening. They should definitely hold their heads up high.”
The Black and Gold took the largest of the game for either team 6:47 into the contest, when they went on a 13-2 run to take a 13-7 advantage after North Florida scored the first five points of the contest. It was a Love three 3:55 into the contest that put the Owls on the board for the first time on Saturday evening, and began a stretch over the next few minutes in which they shot 5-for-6 from the floor to jump in front.
North Florida scored the last five points of the first half, taking a, 38-33, lead into halftime, the largest deficit the Owls would face all evening. They would immediately come out of the locker room and ensure that it would be a battle for the long haul, scoring the first six points of the second half. Their lead would grow to as big as five after halftime, when a Dixon three made it 47-42 with 12:43 to play.
Wallace led all scorers with 29 points on an astounding 13-for-15 shooting, while the Owls Brandon Dawson matched a career-high with 12 points. Aaron Anderson (11) and were the other two Owls in double figures on the evening, in a contest in which no team led by more than six points at any point. Anderson notched his 10th double-double of the season, as he added a game-high 13 rebounds.
The game was the second straight overtime contest for the Owls, as they fell, 76-75 to Tennessee-Martin on
Feb. 14, and their second straight game at UNF that required extra time. They went to triple overtime against the Ospreys in Jacksonville on
Feb. 18 of last season, falling, 90-88.
"Coach told us not to quit, we gave it our all tonight, but the ball just didn't bounce our way tonight," said Spencer Dixon, who scored eight of his 11 points on the evening in the second half. "Once you get into overtime, double-overtime, it's adrenaline and love of the game that takes over. We all wanted to come out on top tonight, and none of us gave up to the very end."
The Owls are back in action on
Monday evening, when they face the Jacksonville Dolphins at 7:30 p.m. The game will be their final road contest of the 2011-12 season.
