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Score: Kennesaw State 66, Jacksonville 72
Records: Kennesaw State (3-7, 0-2), Jacksonville (8-4, 2-0)
Key Players: Spencer Rodgers  (18 pts, 2 rebs, 3 assts),  Alex Peterson (15 pts, 7 rebs), Chris Youngblood (11 pts, 3 rebs), Terrell Burden (7 pts, 2 rebs, 3 assts), Armani Harris (4 pts, 4 rebs).
 
THE STORYLINE: 
The Kennesaw State men's basketball team rallied from 12 points down in the second half of Saturday's showdown with Jacksonville, but could not complete the comeback as the Dolphins held on to down the Owls 72-66 in their second game in as many days.

ABDUR-RAHIM QUOTES:
On KSU's second half run…
"I thought our connection in that run was as good as it had been all night. We called a timeout and literally spent the whole timeout talking about being connected, because we were trying to do everything one-on-one on the offensive end and it puts us in a bad situation. On the defensive end, our talk, our communication, it wasn't where it needed to be. So, we called the timeout and we talked about how we wanted to take the next four minutes and just be as connected as we could. It gave us good momentum. I thought we played the last 10-12 minutes the way we want to play basketball at Kennesaw State."

On Alex Peterson's play…
"Peterson is a kid that is really dependable, but at the same time he's really still trying to find himself as a basketball player. We're asking him to play a role right now that he hasn't ever been asked to do, we're asking him to be one of our three main focal points and right now he's still trying to figure out how he does that. Today I thought he played a lot more reckless, just carefree, and when he plays that way it takes a lot of the thinking out and he just naturally does things. So, for him to end up with 15 points and seven rebounds and then what he was able to do, especially in the second half, on the defensive end we need more of that out of him and I think when he plays when that kind of reckless abandon that's what he brings to the table."

On the first weekend of ASUN play…
"I look at our team and we could look back at the end of February and say you know what we really grew from that first weekend. Or if we don't block out the self-doubt or the outside chatter, caring about what other people say or what other people do, then it's one of those things that can linger and show itself time and again. I really think one's belief in themselves is really important … We've got to develop that sense of self confidence in order to close out those games. We have great kids, they do literally anything we ask them to do, but we need to grow an edge to us that gives us a toughness to finish out tough games and close games."

HOW IT HAPPENED:
KSU headed into the second half trailing 44-35 following a three-pointer from Jacksonville seconds into the period. Both squads traded shots as Jacksonville pushed its lead to as high as 12 points, 57-45, with 10 minutes left in the game. That's when the tide turned as Alex Peterson netted back-to-back buckets to spark an 18-0 run and give the Owls a 63-57 lead. KSU was 7-for-7 from the floor during its run, featuring three-pointers from Spencer Rodgers, Chris Youngblood and Nate Springs.

JU's Kevion Nolan finally ended the Owls run as Jacksonville responded with a 10-2 run to knot the game up at 65-65 with 1:43 left to play. Nolan scored seven of JU's final nine points, including a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to put KSU's comeback attempt to bed.

KSU stepped up its defense in the second half to pull back into it, matching JU with 31 points each, but could not overcome the first half deficit as the Dolphins shot 69.6 percent from the floor.  

The first period started off as a back-and-forth affair, with Rodgers draining a three-pointer to kick off the scoring, until a 7-0 run put the Dolphins on top, 19-11. JU pushed its lead to double-figures before back-to-back three-pointers by Youngblood, followed by two free throws from Armani Harris, made it a one-score game, 27-25.

Jacksonville answered with a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to re-take its double-digit lead, but Rodgers netted six straight points in the final two minutes to keep the Owls within shooting distance, 41-35, at the break.

NOTES
- Spencer Rodgers had his 10th straight game in double-figures with a team-high 18 points
- Alex Peterson netted a season-high 15 points, his second game as an Owl with 10+ points
- Chris Youngblood notched his sixth game this season with three or more three-pointers finishing with 11 points.
- JU finished the game shooting 56.0 percent from the floor, a season-high for the Owls' defense and only the second time this season a team has shot over 50 percent against KSU.
 
UP NEXT
The Owls now head to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on North Florida in back-to-back games beginning Friday (Jan. 8) at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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.