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Score: Kennesaw State 43, North Alabama 66
Records: Kennesaw State (3-10, 0-5), North Alabama (6-3, 2-1)
Key Players: Spencer Rodgers (10 pts, 4 rebs, 3 stls, 2 assts), Alex Peterson (9 pts, 5 rebs 1 blk) and Chris Youngblood (5 pts, 4 rebs, 1 blk).
 
THE STORYLINE: 
After earning the lead in a hard-nosed first half, the Kennesaw State men's basketball team fell behind as North Alabama jumped out to a quick start in the second period pulling away to down KSU 66-43 Friday night in the Convocation Center.

ABDUR-RAHIM QUOTES:
On his thoughts on the game…
"The game was a microcosm of where we are as a program and I've got to do a better job. We've won one DI game in a year and a half and I'm not discouraged, I'm going to stay in the struggle because I know there's beauty in the end of it, but I have to figure out a way to keep my team connected. I have to figure out a way for us to have better starts to the second half. We tried to change the lineup tonight at the second half hoping it would give us a little bit more of a defensive mindset. But right now this is a crucial time for our program because we've taken some steps forward, but the last two games we've taken some steps backwards from a standpoint of how connected we are, from a standpoint of our toughness and our ability to fight through adversity. So I've got to do a better job of figuring out what to do."

On the team's second half struggles…
"I'm done talking about how young we are because it's the middle of January and we've played 13 games now and we should be better. Hats off to Coach Pujol and North Alabama, their kids did what they were supposed to do. That's one of the programs I really admire in our league, they play hard, they play tough, they play together every night. I just need to do a better job of figuring out what the next step is to help us improve our starts to the second half because at the end of the day that's what it is for me. Our starts to the second half hurt us and it's like a mind thing. They've seen it before and it's like 'dang again' and instead of coming closer to each other, we splinter and everybody starts trying to do it on their own. So, I just have to do a better job of mixing and matching lineups or finding some guys that are going to be bought in on that floor to start the second half and we'll go from there."

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Alex Peterson got the Owls going to open the game with his layup sparking a 6-0 run to give KSU the lead two minutes in. After trading buckets, UNA pulled ahead with a 7-0 run capped off by a three-pointer to lead 12-9 at the 13:10 mark. The two teams proceeded to trade the lead in a hard-fought period that saw two ties and six lead changes until a bucket from Peterson and a last second layup by Spencer Rodgers gave KSU a 25-22 lead at halftime.

Peterson scored all nine of his points in the game during the first half.

The Lions pounced in the second half, going on a 13-0 run to open the period. Rodgers had the Owls' first bucket of the half with 13:23 to play to make it 35-27. Following another jumper from Rodgers, UNA continued to press going on a 15-2 run over the next seven minutes to push its lead to 52-31.

The Lions held KSU at bay the rest of the way, outscoring KSU 44-18 in the second half, with Armani Harris netting a three-pointer, Demetrius Rives recording three points and Mayson Quartlebaum throwing down a monstrous alley-oop dunk to highlight the final minutes.

NOTES
- Spencer Rodgers was the only Owl in double-figures with 10 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 13 games.
- Rodgers tied his season-high with three steals.
- KSU recorded a season-low two three-pointers.
- The Owls tied their season-high with 19 turnovers, resulting in 22 points for UNA.
 
UP NEXT
The Owls turn around for game two against North Alabama Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.

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.