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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Kennesaw State men's basketball team fell in their season opener at No. 23 Syracuse, 89-42, starting off the Owls first of four games in the 2K Classic benefiting the Wounded Warrior Foundation.
 
The Owls, who start the season off at 0-1, played a tough first 10 minutes in front of 22,832 fans at the Carrier Dome, but the Orange (1-0) proved strong, pulling away to take the win.
 
"I thought we did some good things," said KSU head coach Jimmy Lallathin. "Offensively in the first half we were very stagnant, kind of waiting for somebody else to make the play. In the second half we got things going the way we want to. We didn't defend their actions well or hit the offensive boards and that's just part of the maturation process. We need to look at this and highlight the positives and move on."
 
Willy Kouassi took the opening tip for the Owls, giving KSU its first crack at the stout Syracuse zone defense, but it was the Orange that swung first offensively, putting in the game's first five points.
 
Newcomer Damien Wilson put in the first two points of the season for KSU, drilling a pair of free throws at the 17:44 mark to cut it down to a one-possession game at 5-3.
 
A 4-0 run then put the Orange up by seven at 9-2, but the Owls sparked to life, Nigel Pruitt getting the offense going with a big three followed by a 10-footer from Wilson, making it a two-point game at 9-7 with 12:10 to go in the first.
 
The two teams then went back-and-forth over the next three minutes, Delbert Love coming up big with a steal and a fast-break dunk to hold it at a six-point SU lead, 15-9.
 
A 16-0 offensive run from the Orange then gave the home team its largest lead of the night at 31-9 with four minutes remaining in the first period. Orlando Coleman would put in the next basket for the Owls with a jumper, bringing the lead back down to 20.
 
SU extended its lead back up to 22 before Coleman hit a fade-away jumper just before the buzzer to send the game into the intermission at 36-16.
 
Out of the break it was all Orange as Syracuse extended its lead to 30 five minutes in at 52-22 with a layup from Rakeem Christmas. SU then hit the 40-point mark at 75-35 before closing out the game, 89-42.
 
Offensively the Owls were led by Pruitt who put in 11 points on three three-pointers to go with his four rebounds. Coleman, Wilson and Love each finished with eight, Coleman and Wilson adding on four rebounds.
 
Kouassi was tops for KSU on the boards with seven, all defensive, with four points and a block.
 
True freshmen Nick Masterson and Justin Diecker each picked up their first minutes in a KSU jersey.
 
KSU now heads cross-country to take on Cal in Berkley, California as part of the 2K Classic this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on the Pac-12 Network.

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.