Follow KSU Men's Basketball – Twitter | Instagram
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kennesaw State used an impressive defensive performance and 41 combined points from
Demond Robinson and
Chris Youngblood to snap Queens' 17-game home win streak with an 76-67 victory on Saturday night in ASUN men's basketball action from Curry Arena. The Owls, who's only conference loss is off a last-second three-pointer, moved to 3-1 in ASUN action, 11-6 overall with their fourth road victory of the season. Queens meanwhile dropped to 12-5, 2-2 in the conference.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls dominated play inside, finishing with a 46-22 advantage on points in the paint. For the game, KSU was 23-of-40 on 2-point field goals, while the Royals made just 12-of-29 from inside the arc.
OWLS OF THE GAME: Robinson continued his recent run of strong games, hitting 8-of-11 from the floor for 19 points while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Youngblood meanwhile was the game's highest scorer with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 4-of-6 from three-point land.
THE FIRST HALF: There were five lead changes in the first five minutes of the game. The host Royals took their largest lead of the night on a layup with 12:58 to play for a 15-11 advantage. A Robinson dunk and a three-pointer from
Kasen Jennings sparked a 16-3 run over the next seven minutes. Capping the run was a steal from Robinson and a fast break layup from Stroud for a 27-18 advantage, and KSU would go up by 11 with a minute left. The Owls did not allow a field goal for almost the entire final 10 minutes of the half, until Queens banked in a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer to close within 31-23.
THE SECOND HALF: Queens used an early 7-0 second half run to close within 39-33 with 15 minutes on the clock. A
Terrell Burden layup started a 9-0 run for KSU, and following a free throw from the Royals, Youngblood drained a trey for KSU's largest lead of the night at 17, 51-34. Queens wouldn't go away, using a 13-2 run to close within six at 53-47. Burden responded with a layup while Robinson converted a three-point play off an alley-oop to put KSU up double-digits, 58-48 with 8:08 to play. The Owls led by at least three possessions the rest of the way.
QUOTEABLE: "Really proud of our guys tonight, more about their resolve and their response after a tough loss at North Florida on Thursday night. For us to bounce back like that against a really good Queens team at their place and come out of there with a win. Can't be more proud of these guys to hold a team that has the offensive firepower they do to 37% shooting, 33% on threes, and only 67 overall points. Our identity on the defensive side really showed tonight.
Demond Robinson was amazing, getting 19 points and eight rebounds, the way he competed and established himself tonight was big for us."
Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim
NOTES
-The Owls handed Queens its first loss at home since Dec. 1, 2021. The Royals' 17-game home win streak coming into Saturday was the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.
-KSU's four road victories are the most for the Owls since the 2016-17 squad finished with six road wins.
-Youngblood's 22-points was the most by an Owl this season.
-Burden was the third player in double-figures, as he finished with 13.
-KSU shot 50% or better for the second straight game, hitting 29-of-54 for 53.7%, and 6-of-14 from three-point range for 42.9%. The Owls also hit 75% at the free throw line, making 12-of-16.
-Queens was limited to just 37.3% (22-of-59) for the game, and 33.3% (10-of-30) from downtown.
-This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
NEXT TIME OUT: A two-game homestand awaits the Owls, starting with a Black Out on Thursday night against Jacksonville at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center. All fans are encouraged to wear black to the game while the first 1,000 fans will receive a free KSU Black T-shirt.
