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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State men's basketball couldn't hold off a second-half run by the Jacksonville Dolphins in historic Swisher Gymnasium on Thursday, January 11 as the Owls fell 65-58.
 
Tyler Hooker led the team with 16 points and Jordan Jones was right behind him with 14. They were the only two Owls in double figures on a tough offensive night for the Owls.
 
After shooting 44 percent in the first half, Kennesaw State was held to 23 percent from the floor in the second half allowing Jacksonville to overcome a seven-point deficit at the break.
 
Despite the struggles in the second half, KSU started hot behind Hooker, who came out and pushed the Owls lead to 12 after a three pointer and layup.
 
With the Owls holding their biggest lead of the game, the Dolphins responded with a 14-0 run to go up by two points. Both teams kept it close after that as the game had seven ties in it, but playing in front of their home crowd, Jacksonville had one last burst.
 
They used an 8-1 run after the last tie to get some space and the closest KSU would get after that was three.
 
Jones had another efficient night from the floor going 5-7 to finish with his 14 points and five rebounds.
 
The Owls got to the free throw line regularly going 19-24 on the night. Jones was the most fouled player on KSU going to the line eight times.
 
Kennesaw State will now look towards North Florida as they take on the Ospreys on Saturday, January 13 at 7 p.m.

#NestNotes

• Coming into the night, Kennesaw State had beaten Jacksonville four out of the last six meetings, including last season in Swisher Gymnasium.
• The Owls held a 32-25 lead at halftime. This the fourth time this season that the Owls have held a lead at the break. This was the first time this season that the Owls lost a game after holding a lead at halftime.
• Jones continues his hot stretch from the floor. In the first half, he led the team with 10 points on 4-4 shooting and knocking down two free throws. He ended up knocking down his first five shots before missing a couple towards the end of the game.
• KSU's defense scrapped in the first half holding Jacksonville to 35.5 percent shooting and forcing eight turnovers. For the game, they ended up forcing 17 turnovers on the night.
• In the first half, KSU was 8-8 from the free throw line. Jacksonville didn't go to the charity stripe one time in the first 20 minutes. For the game, the Owls went 19-24 from the line. They made 11 more free throws than Jacksonville did in the game.

 
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