Follow KSU Men's Basketball – Twitter | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – For the second straight game, Kennesaw State blew open a tight contest at halftime with a big second-half opening run, this time a 10-1 burst as the Owls won their eighth straight home game, 79-75 over Central Arkansas in ASUN men's basketball action on Monday night from the Convocation Center. KSU is 2-0 in the ASUN for the second straight year and moved to 10-5 overall with its second straight win over the Colonels, who fell to 8-7, 1-1 in the league.
The Owls' defense was key to the game, as they limited the Colonels to just 36.4% from the floor, well below their season average of 43.9%. KSU also negated one of EKU's strengths this season, as both teams committed 11 turnovers while the Colonels had just one more steal (11-10). EKU had come into the night ranked first in the ASUN in both turnover margin and steals.
STAT OF THE GAME: After hitting just 36.7% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, the Owls found their touch in the second stanza. KSU would hit 15-of-28 for 53.6% from the floor after halftime. That included a 6-of-11 performance from three-point range, after hitting just 1-of-12 attempts in the first half.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior
Spencer Rodgers came off the bench with his best game of the season, as he hit 6-of-11 from the floor, 2-of-5 from behind the arc and was a perfect 3-of-3 at the free throw line. He also added six rebounds, three assists and a steal in the victory.
THE FIRST HALF: EKU held the edge at the start of the game, as Cooper Robb scored eight points in the first six minutes, including a trey and a layup to cap a 7-0 run that gave the Colonels their largest lead of the game at 14-5. A layup from
Chris Youngblood stopped the run, while Rodgers converted a three-point play on a tough jumper where he hung in the air just long enough to sink the shot. That sparked the Owls on offense, and they would slowly chip away at the lead the rest of the half. EKU went up 32-27 with two minutes to play, and then KSU took over, using a 6-0 run to end the half and take a 33-32 lead into the break thanks to a tear drop floater from
Terrell Burden.
THE SECOND HALF: Youngblood opened the half with a pair of free throws, and following one make at the line for EKU, the Owls scored eight points in a 76-second span, off a pair of treys and a Burden layup, for a 43-33 advantage with 17:01 on the clock. KSU would keep the lead to at least three possessions for most of the rest of the game. The Colonels did make a final rally, scoring six straight to cut a 10-point margin to four with a minute left for a 76-72 score. KSU would make three of four at the line to close out the win, while a banked-in three-pointer with under a second left accounted for the final four-point margin.
QUOTEABLE: "Very happy with our offensive tonight, 14 assists, but we're still trying to find our rhythm. We missed some threes tonight that we will make another night, but if we share the ball like we did we're a tough team to beat. We also did a great job on defense, especially our bigs and their defense against the guards from Eastern Kentucky. With Spencer tonight, he continues to come in and work hard, and it was only a matter of time before he had a game like he did tonight. He was really focused on the defensive end, getting deflections and steals that got us out into transitions and allowed him to get some pull-up jumpers."
Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
NOTES
-KSU's record home win streak of eight is tied for the 43
rd-longest active streak in the nation.
-After dropping the first four games in the series, KSU has now won the past two, both in the Convocation Center.
-A pair of Owls just missed out on double-doubles.
Demond Robinson finished with nine points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while Youngblood posted 15 points and nine rebounds. Also in double-figures was Burden with 15 points.
-The Owls held big advantages on both points in the paint (32-20) and bench points (26-11).
-The nine-point deficit in the first half was the largest overcome by the Owls this season for a victory.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will have a quick turnaround as they will be on the road for two straight games, starting with a Thursday night contest at North Florida in Jacksonville. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
