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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Kennesaw State men's basketball team struggled to find its groove in Friday night's ASUN/MAAC Challenge opener as a cold first half allowed Monmouth to build an early lead and down the Owls 71-40 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
 
How it Happened: Antonio Spencer got the Owls (0-4) off the bench early with a big block on Monmouth's (2-4) first possession. The Hawks got on the board first with a three-pointer before Ugo Obineke, making his first appearance of the season, buried a trey of his own to pull KSU within one, 5-4, at the 16:38 mark. Monmouth pushed its lead to 11 points, 17-6, as KSU proceeded to go nearly seven minutes without a bucket.
 
Tyler Hooker finally snapped the drought with his first bucket of the night with just under 10 minutes to play. KSU spent the rest of the half at the free throw line, going 9-of-10 from the stripe down the stretch. Terrell Burden was 6-for-6 at the line to lead the team with six points as the Owls trailed 42-17 at the half.
 
The Hawks shot 52 percent from the floor in the first half, going 7-of-12 from three-point range.
 
After another three-pointer by the Hawks to open the second half, the Owls finally got on the board as Armani Harris recorded the layup to make it 46-19 at the 16-minute mark. Monmouth pushed its lead to 33, 52-19, with a 6-0 run. The Hawks maintained their 30-point lead the rest of the half as the two squads traded buckets throughout the final 12 minutes.
 
The second half was a much more defensive battle as the Owls held Monmouth to 29 points, but could not find a way to break through, netting 23 themselves.
 
Notes: Terrell Burden led the team with a career-high 12 points, going a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line … Tyler Hooker was second on the team with seven points, snapping his three game double-digit scoring streak … Armani Harris went 3-for-4 from the floor for seven points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Up Next: The Owls are right back in action tomorrow night, closing out the ASUN/MAAC Challenge against Iona at 7:30 p.m.