KSU vs North Florida Box Score (PDF)

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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State nearly pulled off one of the top comebacks in school history Saturday night after trailing by 17 points in the first half, but the Owls' three-point shot at the buzzer was off the mark, allowing North Florida to escape with a 74-72 victory in ASUN Conference men's basketball action from the Convocation Center.
 
The Ospreys' success from long range in the first half, combined with the Owls struggles from downtown, helped the visitors open a 40-23 advantage with five minutes left in the first half. KSU would slowly chop away at the edge however and used a 10-0 run to grab a 65-63 lead with 5:24 to play. Spencer Rodgers ignited the rally with back-to-back treys, while a pair of layups capped the run.
 
THE TURNING POINT: UNF tied the game at 65-65, before the Owls went one-of-two at the line to go ahead by one. The Ospreys then scored the next five points of the game, with a three-pointer at the four-minute mark giving them a 70-66 edge.
 
THE FINAL MINUTES: KSU did score four straight to knot the game at 70-70 with 1:42 to play, while UNF made 3-of-4 at the line on its next two trips for a 73-70 advantage. The Owls nearly tied the game on the other end with an and-1 opportunity, but would miss the free throw, giving UNF the ball with 37 seconds left and a one-point edge. KSU did not foul until the Ospreys missed a shot and grabbed their own rebound. They made 1-of-2 at the line, keeping hope alive for KSU, as the long inbound pass was knocked out of bounds with two seconds left. Given one more chance, Brandon Stroud's three-point attempt was off, giving the win to UNF.
 
STAT OF THE GAME: The Ospreys made most of their damage in the first half from behind the arc, shooting 6-of-13 for 46.2%. KSU meanwhile was just 1-of-9 over the opening 20 minutes, for a difference of 15 points for UNF.
 
QUOTEABLE:
"We came out with poor energy in the first half, not our brand of basketball at all. We needed to do a better job of being ready to play, coaches and players. North Florida's a good team, and we didn't have the energy we needed against a team as well coached as they are to be good enough to get the win tonight."- Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim      
 
NOTES
- KSU lost despite almost placing all five starters in double-figures. Demond Robinson led the way with 13 points, while Chris Youngblood and Brandon Stroud added 12 each, and Terrell Burden notched 10. Rodgers finished with eight points.
- Stroud added a career-high 17 rebounds for his third career double-double. He led a KSU rebounding effort that held a 46-29 edge on the boards.
- The Owls were limited to 36.1% (26-of-72) from the floor and were only 4-of-22 from behind the three-point line for 18.2%. KSU would make 16-of-24 at the charity stripe for 66.7%.
- While KSU only had one more turnover than the Ospreys (8-7), UNF took more advantage of its forced turnovers, with a 15-6 edge on points off turnovers.
 
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls are on the road for a pair of games in Florida against East division opponents, starting with a Wednesday, Feb. 16 contest at FGCU in Fort Myers with a 7 p.m. tip.
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