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BOONE, N.C. – Kennesaw State trailed by seven with three minutes left on the clock but exploded on a 12-0 run over the next 2:30, and then made four-straight at the line to seal the comeback for a thrilling 71-67 road victory at Appalachian State on Saturday night from the Holmes Convocation Center. The Owls, already off to their best-ever start with Friday's victory in the first game of the Appalachian State MTE, improved to 4-1, while the Mountaineers dropped to 3-2.
THE TURNING POINT: In a game that was back and forth all night long, ASU reeled off an 11-3 run to grab its largest lead of the game, 62-55 with 3:09 on the clock.
Brandon Stroud then keyed the Owl comeback, drawing a foul and making one-of-two at the line, before then coming up with a steal and feeding
Chris Youngblood for a fast break dunk. Stroud then grabbed a rebound on the other end, leading to a
Terrell Burden layup, followed by a Youngblood trey from the top of the key to give KSU a 63-62 lead with 1:28 to play. Stroud again grabbed rebounds on the next two possessions, leading to a driving layup by Burden and two free throws from Stroud to complete the run, making it a 67-62 lead with 33 seconds left.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls' starting five of
Demond Robinson,
Spencer Rodgers, Burden, Stroud and Youngblood combined for 58 points, and all came up with big moments at the end of the night.
OWL OF THE GAME: Burden played an outstanding game from the point guard position, finishing with a season-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, with several coming on athletic drives to the basket through traffic. He added six assists to just two turnovers, while also came up with a game-high three steals.
THE FIRST HALF: It was a back-and-forth game the entire opening half, with six ties and four lead changes, while the largest lead either team held was five points. KSU held its largest lead of the half at 24-20 thanks to a 11-2 run which featured three Owl treys. ASU would respond with an 8-0 run of its own to go back up 28-24 with 2:54 to play, but KSU would clamp down on defense, scoring the final four points of the stanza to knot the game at 28-28.
QUOTEABLE: "First off, that was a heck of a basketball game, hats off to Coach (Dustin) Kerns and his group, that's a tough group to play against especially on their home court. But that was a boot camp win for us. We tried to do things differently in the offseason to get ready for this year, we put the guys through some challenges, created some adversity. When we got to three minutes and they were up, we didn't blink because we've been there before. Leadership from
Terrell Burden,
Chris Youngblood,
Spencer Rodgers, it's a really connected group and it showed there at the end."-
Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
NOTES
- This was the first-ever meeting between the Owls and Appalachian State. It's also the first win for KSU in the state of North Carolina since a 77-60 win at Gardner-Webb on Jan. 10, 2007.
- The Owls finished the night shooting 43.9% (25-of-57) from the floor, 8-of-17 (47.1%) from three-point range, and 13-of-20 (66%) at the line.
- Three Owls finished in double-figures. Stroud posted a double-double for the second-straight night with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Robinson added 10 points.
- KSU held a 30-18 edge on points in the paint, and 14-5 on fast break points.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out play in the Appalachian State MTE on Sunday with a 12 pm contest against Campbell.
