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DELAND, Fla. – Kennesaw State left no doubt as the Owls completely dominated Stetson in the second half 39-14 for a commanding 77-49 victory on the road Saturday afternoon in ASUN men's basketball action from the Edmunds Center. KSU (7-8 overall) is now 2-0 in conference play for just the second time in school history, and the first since the first season of Division I play (2005-06).
 
That's the first of numerous notable achievements set in the victory, which snapped the nation's longest road losing streak at 49 games. KSU's last road win was on Feb. 15, 2018, a 97-93 victory at FGCU. The 28-point margin of victory meanwhile is a new school record for largest margin of victory on the road, and is the second-largest ever in any ASUN contest for the Owls.
 
Combined with KSU's 77-53 victory over FGCU on Thursday, this marked the first time in school history the Owls have posted back-to-back 20+ point victories over Division I opponents.
 
STAT OF THE GAME #1: Stetson's 49 total points scored is the fewest points ever allowed by the Owls in a conference game. It's also the fewest points by any Division I opponent since a 61-41 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 2, 2015.
 
STAT OF THE GAME #2: After Stetson shot 12-of-20 for 60% in the first half, which included 7-of-11 from three-point range, the Owls completely clamped down on defense in the second. The Hatters were held to a stunning 12% shooting over the final 20 minutes, hitting just 3-of-25 from the floor, 2-of-12 from behind the arc.
 
OWL OF THE GAME: Another team effort from KSU with five players scoring in double-figures, but junior Demond Robinson was a standout, starting both the first and second halves with the first two baskets for KSU. He finished 5-of-7 from the floor along with seven rebounds, and was a big key to the Owl defensive performance that held the Hatters under 50 points.
 
FIRST HALF: KSU jumped out to an early 8-2 lead thanks to Robinson's baskets and a four-point play from Chris Youngblood. It was an 11-6 lead when the Hatters reeled off the next 10 points, keyed by a pair of three-pointers for a 16-11 edge. Kasen Jennings, the star of the first half for KSU, capped off a 10-0 spurt for the Owls with back-to-back treys to again put the visitors up by five (21-16) with 10:28 to play. A 7-0 spurt gave Stetson its last advantage of the game at 26-25, but Alex Peterson converted a layup in traffic and Jennings added another trey to put KSU back up 30-26, and the Owls wouldn't trail again. Both teams shot 50% or better in the half, and the Owls would go into the break leading 38-35.
 
SECOND HALF: The Hatters opened up the second half with a jumper to close within one. And that was it for Stetson, as KSU held the Hatters to just three points over the next 10:44 of the game. An eventual 24-3 run for the Owls pushed the advantage to 62-40 with 9:22 to play, and KSU cruised from there.
 
QUOTEABLE:
"Really proud of our team, I thought the guys did a great job of coming in and being connected, and that's what it takes to win on the road. It was also big to have that kind of balance, it's the second straight game we've had six guys with seven points or more. I loved how we defended, we changed our mindset in the second half and got back to who we were. To hold a team to 12% in the second half just shows how well we played defense as a team. I'm also really proud of our assists tonight, to have 21 assists and only 12 turnovers, more so in the second half to only have four turnovers. I didn't like the eight in the first half but will take four in the second any day. When we have the scoring balance we had tonight and when we rebound how we did tonight, I'm excited about what we can do."
– Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim      
 
NOTES
-Terrell Burden and Jennings tied for the team lead in scoring with 13 each. Burden added a team-high eight assists as well. Also in double-figures was Youngblood with 12, while Robinson and Peterson both finished with 10 each.
-Youngblood and Robinson's seven rebounds paced the Owls, who held a 34-24 advantage on the boards.
-KSU shot over 50% for the fifth time this season from the floor at 51.9% on 28-of-54 shooting. That included an 8-of-20 performance from three-point land for 40%.
-For just the second time in school history the Owls finished the game shooting 100% at the free throw line, connecting on all 13 attempts. That ties the mark first set against Lipscomb on Jan. 26, 2009 when KSU made 10-of-10 at the charity stripe.
-The Owls claimed their first win at Stetson since the 2016-17 season, and now lead the all-time series 17-16 with their second straight win over the Hatters.
 
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls finish off the third of three games in a five-day stretch with a Monday night, 7 pm contest at North Florida in Jacksonville.