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KENT, Ohio – A career-high 16 points from forward Bernard Morena wasn't enough to move the Kennesaw State men's basketball team past the Golden Flashes as the Owls took a 68-51 loss at Kent State University on Sunday afternoon.
 
Morena tipped in 16 points, tying with teammate Delbert Love for the game-high in the scoring column, as KSU moves to 3-7 on the year in what was the team's final game until Dec. 16. Kent State capitalized on 31 free throws during the game as the Golden Flashes improve to 8-1 this season.
 
"In the first half we executed, had great ball movement, played hard and did what we had to do," Kennesaw State head coach Lewis Preston said. "In the second half we came out and had way too many one or two pass possessions and that played right into Kent State's hand. But the biggest difference in the game was sending them to the free-throw line 39 times."
 
KSU came out and won the battle early on, holding the potent Golden Flashes scoreless for the first three minutes of the contest, giving the Owls an early two point edge. The two teams then played to two ties before KSU erased a three-point Kent State lead with a 5-0 run after two Morena free throws and a Love three-pointer, making it 9-7 Owls with 13 minutes to go in the first half.
 
A Willy Kouassi jumper with under 10 to play in the first set the Owls up by a point, 14-13, before the Golden Flashes went on the offensive run, going up by as many as six points with 6:57 remaining. KSU then put in seven straight after a pair of threes from Tanner Wozniak, putting the Owls back on top, 25-23.
 
Kent State then ended the first on a 4-0 run, sending the game into the intermission 27-25 Golden Flashes.
 
Out of the break it was the home team that came out swinging as Kent State extended its lead to double-figures, 37-27, within the first four minutes. The Owls never managed to regain momentum in the ballgame as the Golden Flashes held on to a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, ending the game at 68-51.
 
Love put together one of his best games to date this season, adding five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals to his stat line along with his 16 points.
 
Kouassi was tops on the boards for KSU with his six rebounds while five other Owls grabbed two or more.
 
From the free-throw line, the Owls were good on 8-of-9 attempts with Morena putting in five of those.
 
The Owls will now break until Dec. 16 when KSU travels into downtown Atlanta, Ga. to take on Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. ET.

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State men's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
Season tickets are currently available for all the home court action for the Owls and can be purchased by following the link here.
   

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