By Jamie Bernal III
Athletics Communications
BOX SCORE (XML) |
BOX SCORE (PDF) |
PHOTO GALLERY | POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State cut a 17-point deficit to single digits several times during the second half, but could not complete the comeback as the Owls fell 70-60 to East Tennessee State Saturday at the KSU Convocation Center.
The loss overshadowed a strong performance by senior forward
Aaron Anderson who scored a team-leading 13 points and collected a season-high 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
“I could not be more proud of Aaron Anderson tonight,” head coach Lewis Preston said. “I hate the fact that he’s a senior. I hate the fact that I’m not going to have a chance to coach him after these next 12 or 13 games.”
Anderson went 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-13 from the foul line while adding three assists and a steal in 36 minutes.
“Coach challenged me before the game to rebound the ball well,” Anderson said. “My teammates really helped me. Coach asked me to get 15 rebounds and I told him I would.”
Anderson was joined in double figures by freshman guard
Jordan Montgomery, who scored a career-high 11 points, and senior forward
Markeith Cummings, who added 10.
East Tennessee freshman guard Lester Wilson led all players with 19 points, while senior guard Jarvis Jones and Kinard Gadsen-Gilliard contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Kennesaw State (2-17-, 1-6) claimed an early 2-1 lead, but the Buccaneers (5-14, 3-3) quickly found their three-point touch, knocking down eight shots from behind the arc to build a 37-24 halftime lead. Meanwhile, the Owls struggled from the field, shooting just 33.3 percent (8-for-33), including 0-for-8 from three-point range.
A three by freshman guard Myles Hamilton with 7:14 left in the second half, concluded a 19-10 run that allowed Kennesaw State to pull within eight at 54-46. The Owls would close the gap to eight once more, but that was as close as they would get the remainder of the game.
“It was not what East Tennessee State did, it’s that we could not accomplish what we set out to accomplish,” Preston said.
While Kennesaw State was never able to get untracked offensively, shooting just 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the field, East Tennessee kept its rhythm the entire contest, finishing the game at 63.2 percent (24-for-38), including 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from behind the three-point line.
Kennesaw State returns to action on Thursday when it travels to Nashville, Tenn., to take on Lipscomb (7-10, 2-4) at Allen Arena beginning at 2:30 p.m.
NOTES:
* With his 14 rebounds, senior forward Aaron Anderson moved into fifth place on Kennesaw State’s all-time rebounding list with 620.
* Anderson also set season-highs for rebounds (14) and offensive rebounds (8).
* Senior forward Markeith Cummings made his 106
th career start to move into a tie for first place with Spencer Dixon (2008-12).*Sophomore guard
*
Delbert Love has had at least one steal in 12 straight games.
Kennesaw State is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
