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MIAMI, Fla. – The Kennesaw State men's basketball team lost to Florida International on Tuesday night 59-38 despite a strong defensive effort from the Owls.
 
"I thought Willy Kouassi did a standout job defending their interior tonight," head coach Jimmy Lallathin said. "We had some good looks, but could not find the bottom of the net. We look forward to heading home and playing in the friendly confines of the Convocation Center against Kent State."
 
Yonel Brown led the team once again with 16 points and three assist. He has scored in double figures in five of his past six games.
 
Kouassi battled with Kansas State transfer, Adrian Diaz for much of the night holding him ten points below his average while leading the team with six rebounds.
 
After winning the opening tip, Kouassi got the scoring going with a tip slam to give the Owls a 2-0 lead.
 
Minutes later, Orlando Coleman had a put-back dunk to put the Owls back up by two.
 
Later in the half, the Owls built a five-point lead after a steal by Delbert Love gave Brown a layup and Nick Masterson hit a three pointer.
 
From there, the both teams stepped up there defense as points were hard to come by for both teams with the halftime score being 28-15 Panthers.
 
Coming out of the locker room, Brown scored the first six points for the Owls by hitting two straight three pointers making the score 32-21 in favor of FIU.
 
After two free throws from FIU, Love hit a nice layup on the other end making the score 44-27.
 
With 1:40 remaining, Tanner Wozniak hit a three against his former team.
 
The Owls defense held Florida International to 15.4 percent from behind the arc in the contest.

This loss moves Kennesaw State to 3-5 on the season.
 
The Owls will try and make it 3-0 at home to start the season against Kent State this Saturday, December 6 at noon.
 
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.