Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML) | Photo Gallery 

KENNESAW, Ga. – Four Owls finished with 15 or more points as the Kennesaw State men's basketball team cruised to an 81-64 win over North Florida Wednesday night to earn its first ASUN win of the year.

Bryson Lockley and Bobby Parker led the way with 17 points each as Lockley recorded his fourth double-double of the year with a team-high 12 rebounds.

How it happened: After the Ospreys (9-15, 3-6) opened the game with a three-pointer, the Owls (4-18, 1-6) battled back with a 7-0 run to take a 9-5 lead at the 15:39 mark. UNF pulled it to within one, 11-10, following a three-pointer, but another 7-0 run gave KSU an 18-10 cushion with 11:25 to play.

KSU and UNF then proceeded to go point-for-point before a 6-0 run for the Owls, capped off by back-to-back buckets from Kyle Clarke, gave KSU its largest lead of the half, 38-24, with just over two minutes to go. The Owls kept their double-digit lead heading into halftime, 38-28.

The KSU defense wreaked havoc on the Ospreys, forcing 15 turnovers in the first half leading to 12 points for the Owls compared to zero for UNF. KSU shot 42.1 percent in the period while dominating the battle in the paint, outscoring UNF 22-14.

UNF looked to chip away at KSU's lead to open the second half going on a 9-3 run to get within four, 41-37, at the 17:47 mark. The Owls answered immediately with an 8-0 run to push their lead back to double-figures, 49-37.

The Owls kept their foot on the gas, shooting over 50 percent for the majority of the second half, to maintain a double-digit lead. Parker and Lockley stepped it up in the second period with Parker netting 10 points while Lockley went a perfect 4-of-4 for 11 points and six rebounds.

KSU pushed its lead to as high as 20 points, 73-53, following a quick 5-0 run with over four minutes left to play. UNF attempted to cut the lead down, but three points the hard way from Lockley followed by three points the traditional way from Tyler Hooker secured the final score of 81-64.

Notes: Bryson Lockley scored a career-high 17 points to go along with his 12 rebounds, the fifth time this season he has recorded double-digit boards … Bobby Parker has scored in double-figures in three of the last four games … Danny Lewis fell one-point shy of his career-high with 16 points … Tyler Hooker kept his double-digit streak alive with 15 points, his 20th straight game with 10 or more points … the Owls tied their season-high with 21 assists … Hooker recorded a season-high seven assists while Lockley tied his career-high with five dimes … KSU's 15 steals marks a season-high and is the second-most steals in a single-game in DI history … five Owls recorded two or more steals with Isaac Mbuyamba (4) and Lewis (4) establishing new career-highs … Antonio Spencer logged a career-high three blocks … KSU forced a season-high 21 turnovers, the first time this year the Owls have forced 20 or more turnovers … KSU recorded 21 points off turnovers compared to five for UNF … In the paint, KSU outscored UNF 38-28 … the Owls finished the game shooting 45.1 percent, the first time in ASUN play KSU shot over 40 percent.

Quotes: Head Coach Al Skinner
On getting his first conference win at home…
"To be honest, it did not matter where the first win happened. It is really nice to see us play well at home. The difference in the ballgame for us was our play on the defensive end. I thought we played really well on defense and we created a lot of opportunities by turning them over and that allowed us to get some transition baskets. How well we defend is always going to be a key for us."

On defensive energy…
"I think we saw a lot more of it tonight. There were a few times we had some lapses, and if we are going to continue to improve, we have to avoid those defensive lapses and continue to execute defensively. Today we had that energy and our staff is very pleased about it. The key is that it cannot be for just one game, we have to establish a defensive identity."

On the variety of production…
"Anytime a team plays zone, the ball is going to have to move and different people are going to get opportunities. Because of our ball movement tonight, a lot of guys got shots and were able to put the ball in the basket. Bryson (Lockley) did a really good job for us tonight, not always with his scoring, but with his passing."

Up next: The Owls look to keep their momentum rolling as they get back on the road to take on Stetson Saturday at 4 p.m.