KSU at Jacksonville Box Score (PDF)

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A short-handed Kennesaw State squad nearly pulled off a big road win Saturday night, but the Owls' last second three-point attempt was just off the mark, allowing Jacksonville to escape with a 59-56 victory at Swisher Gymnasium. The teams split the season series, with KSU dropped into a tie for fourth in the ASUN East division at 6-8 (11-16 overall). JU meanwhile improved to 18-8, 11-4 in league play as it remained undefeated at home this season.
 
The Owls were playing without starting center Demond Robinson along with another post player in Nate Springs. Jacksonville took advantage of their absence for a 35-24 advantage on the boards. That included an 11-4 edge in offensive rebounds, with KSU's first offensive board not coming until the second half.
 
STAT OF THE GAME: In addition to the rebounding edge, Jacksonville held a huge advantage at the charity stripe. KSU was whistled for 20 fouls, and JU would finish 20-of-25 at the free throw line for 80%. The Owls meanwhile only made six trips to the line, and did not have a free throw attempt after halftime.
 
FIRST HALF: The Owls couldn't buy a basket at the start. JU took advantage by scoring 11 of the first 14 points to open up an 11-3 advantage. KSU's three-point attack closed the margin, as the Owls drained three from behind the arc over a two-minute span to close within 14-12. A 10-0 spurt for KSU would give them what turned out to be their only lead of the game, 24-23 on a driving floater by Spencer Rodgers with 4:42 to play. The Dolphins ended the half with 10 of the final 13 points of the half, with eight of them coming at the free throw line. JU was 10-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes at the line.
 
SECOND HALF: KSU never led in the second half but kept it a tight game the entire 20 minutes, and tied the contest three times, the last at 48-48 with 9:28 on the clock. Three free throws put JU back up 51-48 with just over seven to play. The Owls had several chances to either tie or take the lead but couldn't find a go-ahead basket. Down five with two minutes to play after two more Dolphin free throws, the Owls scored the next four points of the game, the second basket with 10 seconds left to close within 57-56. JU made both of its attempts on the other end, and Burden would drive down the court before taking a shot that almost banked it, but after hitting the rim twice the ball it fell off as the game went final.
 
QUOTEABLE:
"I'm really proud of our fight and next man up mentality. We're getting better and learning some valuable lessons that we'll need going into tournament time. There's nothing to hang our heads about tonight. Now we need to get healthy, regroup, and get ready to host a good Stetson team on Wednesday."- Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim      
 
NOTES
- Youngblood led the Owls in scoring with 13 points. Alex Peterson added eight points and a game-high eight rebounds.
- The Owls shot 46.9% (23-of-49) from the floor and were 7-of-25 (28%) from three-point range. JU was held to 38.3% (18-of-47), and 3-of-15 from behind the arc for 20%.
- Despite giving up 11 offensive rebounds, KSU was only outscored on second chance points by a 5-3 margin.
 
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will play a Senior Night contest against Stetson on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center. Seniors Isaiah Reddish and Jamir Moultrie will be honored before the game. The Air Elite Dunkers will be the halftime performance, while Wednesday will also be Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Night at KSU.
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