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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State kept its win streak rolling on Saturday night, as the Owls led for almost the entire game and were up by as much as 18 before finishing off with an 85-72 victory over Lipscomb in ASUN men's basketball action from the Convocation Center in front of 1,879 fans. The Owls also claimed their first win over Lipscomb since 2016, snapping a 12-game losing streak to the Bison. KSU is again tied for first in the ASUN in the league standings at 9-1 and moved to 17-6 overall with its school-record tying seventh straight win. The Owls also moved their school-record home win streak to 12 games.
OWL OF THE GAME: Junior Kasen Jennings set the tone early for the Owls, scoring nine points in the first half, while making several aggressive moves to the basket. He continued his strong play in the second half and finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting including 2-of-4 from three-point range, along with going a perfect 3-of-3 at the line.
STAT OF THE GAME: Lipscomb had been holding its opponents to just 41.9% shooting for the year, but the Owls would finish the night connecting on 48.2% (27-of-56) of their attempts from the floor, including a 14-of-27 (51.9%) performance in the second half.
THE FIRST HALF: The Bison held the lead three times in the contest, the last at 6-5 with 14:54 on the clock in the opening stanza. KSU then took over with a 15-3 run over the next 5:31. Six different Owls scored during the run, with an offensive putback by Cole LaRue making it a 20-8 margin with just over nine minutes left. The half ended with the home team up by a 38-27 margin.
THE SECOND HALF: KSU threated to blow open the game in the second half, with several runs that extended lead to 18 points once (52-34), and then 17 twice at 56-39 (14:23) and again at 73-56 (5:19). Lipscomb managed to score just enough to keep the game from getting completely away but never came closer then 10 points after the opening minutes of the second half.
QUOTEABLE:
-On snapping the 12-game losing streak to Lipscomb - "That's a good program, I think Coach Acuff is one of the best in the country and they have a really good program. But our program in these last three years, we were building to get to this point where we are at now. Everything that was done in the last three years is a big part of our DNA because we grew up, but this team is the first team. This team is the first one that Kennesaw State is about and will be for years to come. So that losing streak never really crept into our minds, it was about getting better with getting the win tonight."
-On the play of Kasen Jennings - "I'm unbelievably proud of the man that Kasen has grown into. He's been as consistent and as durable and dependable as anyone in our program and it's a luxury to have. Kasen's a guy that started the season on the bench, and his attitude and his focus was the same, we moved him to the starting lineup, and his attitude and focus got even better. It's a luxury to have a guy like that who doesn't care who gets the credit, if he makes five, six, seven shots or zero shots, he gives you the same effort and defense every night."
-On the defensive performance - "That's where we hang out hat. Every day in practice that's what we start with, that's what we end with. It's not just our identity, but their buy-in to that identity. We could easily as a coaching staff say we are a defensive team, but if they don't buy into it something doesn't match up. They've bought into it, they embrace it, and we just keep getting better every game."
Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
NOTES
-KSU's 17th win of the season extends the school record for most wins in a season, as the previous record was 14 in 2016-17.
-The seven-game win streak is tied for the longest in school history (Division I era), trailing only the seven-game streak set in the 2005-06 season. It's also the 10th-longest active streak in the nation.
-KSU's nine ASUN victories are one off the school record, as the 2005-06 team finished with a 10-10 mark. The Owls last won nine conference games in 2006-07 (9-9 in the ASUN).
-The victory was the 10th of the season at home, tying for most home wins in school history (Division I era). Last year the Owls were 10-6 inside the Convocation Center.
-KSU's home win streak stands at 12 games, extending the school record. It's also tied for the 11th-longest active streak in the nation.
-The last win over Lipscomb was a 73-57 victory in Nashville on Feb. 25, 2016.
-KSU has held double-digit halftime leads in four straight games, including Saturday's 11-point edge.
-Terrell Burden paced the Owls with 18 points, while Chris Youngblood also posted double-figures with 15 points.
-The Owls shot 39.1% (9-of-23) from three-point range and was 73.3% from the free throw line (22-of-30).
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls take their win streak on the road for two straight games, starting with a Thursday, Feb. 2 contest at Bellarmine. The game will tip at 7:30 p.m. in in Louisville, Ky., and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
