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KENNESAW, Ga.  – Trailing by two with three seconds left, Kyle Clarke sprinted the ball up the court and launched one final three-point attempt that looked online, but clanked off the back iron giving South Florida a 71-69 victory at the USF Sun Dome on Monday, November 28.
 
The Kennesaw State men's basketball team made a furious comeback against the Bulls of South Florida, but ran out of time losing by two. The Owls trailed by 21 at halftime and used a spark by Nick Masterson, who scored 16 of his 20 points in the final 20 minutes.
 
After South Florida built its large halftime lead, KSU held USF without a field goal for over six minutes coming out of the locker room allowing them to get back in the game with a 10-1 run to make the score 49-41..
 
The Bulls kept the Owls at bay for a while after their initial push, but KSU wasn't done. With 5:27 remaining, Kendrick Ray heated up hitting back-to-back three pointers followed by another Masterson three pulling Kennesaw State to within three at 63-60 with 3:37 remaining.
 
Johannes Nielsen got KSU to within one after two free throws, but the team couldn't get over the hump as South Florida got its third victory of the season after Clarke's three-point attempt just over half court hit the back iron.
 
The Owls played tough defense in the second half, but with the aggressive play came more fouls. South Florida got in the bonus with 12:44 remaining in the game. USF was cold from the floor only shooting 33 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, but picked up the slack making 11-17 free throws to aid their struggling offense.
 
KSU had three players score in double-figures as Masterson led the team with 20, Ray had 17 and Nielsen matched his career high with 15.
 
Kennesaw State will now travel to Tallahassee, Florida to play Florida A&M on Wednesday, November 30 at 7 p.m.
 
#NestNotes

• Kennesaw State outscored South Florida 42-23 in the second half. The Owls have outscored their opponents in the second half in five of the seven games that they have played this season. Overall, the team has outscored their opponents in the final 20 minutes 308-279.
• The Owls outrebounded USF 33-27 in the game. Aubrey Williams led the team with eight boards.
• Nielsen matched his career high with 15 points and 13 of them coming in the second half. In crunch time, the freshman had six points in the final five minutes going 4-4 from the free throw line to go with a layup.
• KSU had 20 assists on 26 field goals for the game. Ray led the team by setting a new career high with seven assists.

 
 
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.