Follow KSU Men's Basketball on Social - Twitter | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – Thursday night's game lived up to the promise of a matchup of two of the top teams in the ASUN, as Kennesaw State nearly handed Jacksonville State its first loss in conference play before the Gamecocks pulled away in the final two minutes, scoring the final five points in a 70-64 final from the Convocation Center. Despite the loss, the Owls are still alone in second place in the ASUN East Division at 4-2 (9-10 overall), while JSU moved to 14-6, 7-0 in the league.
Both teams went back and forth at each other with big baskets all night long, especially in the second half which saw six ties and six lead changes. The Owls, who had been winning with a balanced scoring attack, had strong scoring outputs from a quartet of players, but the rest of the team combined for just four points.
STAT OF THE GAME #1: The biggest disadvantage for KSU was on the offensive boards, where JSU held a 14-8 edge. The Gamecocks also took advantage of their extra opportunities, leading to a 16-6 edge on second chance points.
STAT OF THE GAME #2: The other key difference was the Gamecocks shooting from long-range, as the visitors knocked down 12 three-pointers (out of 26 attempts). That was highlighted by Darian Adams who made a career-high seven treys, including five in the first half. KSU meanwhile finished 8-of-19.
FIRST HALF: For the second straight game the Owls had a slow start, falling behind 6-0 and 11-4 just four minutes into the game. Back-to-back treys brought KSU back into the contest at 18-17, and a
Terrell Burden layup put the Owls ahead for the first time at 21-20 with 7:31 on the clock. The Gamecocks bounced back though to go ahead seven again and led 36-31 at the break.
SECOND HALF: The Owls came out with intensity on defense to begin the second 20 minutes, forcing JSU into five misses from its first six shots. KSU tied the game at 46-46 and took its first lead after halftime with a
Chris Youngblood jumper for a 50-49 edge with 9:31 on the clock.
Jamir Moultrie would give the home team its largest lead of the game, 63-60 with 4:03 to play. That however was the final basket for KU. JSU converted a jumper and a three-pointer to go ahead two. After the Owls went 1-of-2 at the line to close within 65-64 with 2:04 to play, they were forced into four missed shots and a turnover the rest of the way.
QUOTEABLE:
"I told the guys after the game, we've been waiting two and a half years to play in a game like that. You look at both teams offensively, it's as even as you get, the difference was with the offensive rebounds and the second chance points, that's the difference in the game. But that's a heck of a team over there. They are older, those guys have been around, they are physical and well coached, we aren't hanging our heads one bit after that game. ."
– Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
NOTES
-This was just the second-ever meeting between the two schools, and the series is now tied as KSU won the initial contest.
-Youngblood paced the Owls with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting while he added a team-high six rebounds. Burden was next with 16 points, while
Demond Robinson added 13 and Moultrie had 12 off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range.
-KSU finished shooting 47.2% (25-of-53) from the floor, while the Gamecocks made 26-of-54 for 58.1%.
-The overall rebound margin was 38-27 in favor of the visitors, while KSU committed just eight turnovers to 10 for the Gamecocks.
NEXT TIME OUT: KSU continues its homestand with a third game in six days, as the Owls host North Alabama on Saturday at 5:30 pm in the Convocation Center. Not only is it Alumni Night, it's also Tony Ingle Night. The former Owls coach, who led KSU to the 2004 NCAA Division II National Championship title, passed away early in January of 2021. He will be honored pregame, represented by his wife, his four sons, one daughter and numerous grandchildren. A special ticket promotion will be available for the game, as fans can buy two tickets for just $11 total (before fees) in honor of the 11 years Ingle coached the Owls.
