By: Mark Wasik
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KENNESAW, Ga. – All five starters finished in double-figures and Kennesaw State shot the lights out in the first half on the way to a school-record setting 89-52 rout of Charleston Southern on Sunday afternoon in men's college basketball action from the Convocation Center. KSU moved to 3-4 overall with the win in the first-ever meeting against the Buccaneers, who dropped to 2-5 for the year. The 37-point win margin was the largest in school history for the Owls over a Division I opponent.
OWL OF THE GAME: Brandon Stroud's career-high 15 points capped an overall impressive game to lead all Owls in scoring in the 37-point victory, as the sophomore guard finished 6-of-9 from the field with seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and a crowd-raising dunk in transition, one of several on the day by the home squad that scored a total of 22 points off 16 forced turnovers.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU shot a sizzling 64.3% in the first half on 18-of-28 shooting. A big reason for that was the play of post Demond Robinson, who was 5-of-6 for 11 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Owls finished the game at 55% (32-of-58), as well as a season-best 48% (10-of-21) from three-point range, while recording a total of 22 assists for the afternoon.
FIRST HALF: CSU actually held a 7-5 lead just over three minutes in. The Owls' defensive effort then took over the show, as back-to-back steals leads to a pair of fast break dunks and a 9-7 advantage at the 15:49 mark. KSU never left up from there, continuing to force turnovers by getting in the passing lanes while also sealing off the bounds and continuing to pound the ball inside. The lead grew to double-digits for the first time at 29-17 thanks to a 7-0 spurt. CSU countered with three-straight points to close within single digits at 29-20 at the 7:29 mark. The Owls quickly responded with a dominating 23-5 run to close the first half, giving KSU a 52-25 advantage at the break.
SECOND HALF: KSU had a slow start out of the gates in the second half, and a 7-0 run cut the edge to 20 points at 52-32. The Owls then put the game away with a 15-6 spurt over the next eight minutes, and would lead by as much as 38 points.
QUOTEABLE: "Really happy with our performance tonight. I felt we came out with a collective effort and energy on the defensive end that kind of set the tone for how we wanted to play. I felt like all five starters, and even the guys off the bench, defensively we had no drop off. To be up that much at half, I was really impressed with our team. Brandon tonight really set the tone for us defensively. When he's locked in, we're normally locked in, and tonight he was really, really good." – Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
NOTES
-The 37-point final margin was the largest in Owl history over a Division I opponent, topping the previous record of 36, set against Mercer in an 87-51 home win on Feb. 23, 2007.
-KSU's 27-point halftime lead was its largest against a Division I opponent since an identical 52-25 halftime lead over Stetson in an eventual 84-65 home win on Jan. 14, 2017.
-Joining Stroud in double-figures Sunday was Terrell Burden (12 points), Chris Youngblood (12 points), Robinson (11) and Spencer Rodgers (10). Rodgers also added a game-high 10 rebounds for his second career double-double and his first of the season. Youngblood meanwhile tied his career-high with eight rebounds.
-All 15 players on the roster appeared in the game and 14 finished in the scoring column, including Jamir Moultrie who made his return to the squad after missing the past five games, and newcomer Isaiah Reddish who scored two points and grabbed four rebounds in his Owl debut.
-KSU finished with a 46-35 edge on the boards and a 38-22 advantage on points in the paint.
-The Owls' 22 assists are tied for the sixth-most in school history.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls remain at home and welcome Mercer to the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. for a "White Out" game. Click here for tickets.
