Postgame Interview KSU Coach Pettway | Postgame Interview Simeon Cottle | KSU vs Oakwood Box Score (PDF)
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Following a pregame ceremony on Tuesday night that saw Kennesaw State's 2023 Atlantic Sun and NCAA Championship Banner unveiled, the Owls then showed they might be ready to add another to the rafters, as KSU raced out to a 20-3 lead less than six minutes into the game and never looked back on the way to a 93-46 victory over Oakwood. That gave
Antoine Pettway his first-ever victory as a head coach after taking over at the helm of the program in April, while the Owls drew a season-opening crowd of 2,733, the fifth-highest home attendance in program history.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls crushed the school record for rebounds in a game, collecting 64 on the night. The previous record was 55, set twice with the most recent happening against Stetson on Jan. 14, 2017.
ROCK SOLID PLAYER OF THE GAME: Senior
Demond Robinson dominated the action in his 22 minutes of play, recording his fifth career double-double thanks to 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, which included a career-high two three-pointers, to go along with 13 points and three blocks. Robinson also reached the 1,000 career point mark in the victory, as he now has 676 points as an Owl and 1,012 total points in his career that includes two seasons at Murray State.
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls quickly took control, connecting on eight of their first 12 attempts from the floor, including knocking down four from three-point range.
Simeon Cottle and
Jamel King each scored eight points during the game-opening spurt. The lead grew as high as 38 in the first half, 56-18 with 1:04 to play before going into halftime with the Owls up 57-20. KSU connected on 56.4% (22-of-39) of its attempts in the opening stanza, while the Ambassadors were held to 20.9% (9-of-43).
THE SECOND HALF: The second half was more of the same for KSU, who steadily increased the lead to 48, 80-32 on a three-pointer from Cottle. The Owls emptied the bench with over four minutes left to play before closing out with the 47-point win.
NOTES
-This is the first time the Owls have won their season-opener in consecutive seasons since 2009-10 and 2010-11.
-Pettway is the first coach to win his debut at KSU since Greg Yarlett led the Owls to a 79-69 win over Shorter on Nov. 20, 1996.
-Cottle and King both finished with new career-highs in the game, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively. Also scoring in double-figures in their first career collegiate appearances were freshman
Frankquon Sherman and
RJ Johnson with 12 points each. Sherman also added 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Johnson led all players with eight assists.
-KSU shot 46.8% (36-of-77) for the game, 36.4% (12-of-33) from three-point range and was 9-of-17 at the free throw line for 52.9%.
-The Owls posted 23 assists in the win, the ninth-most ever in a game in school history, while their 36 made field goals are tied for the seventh-most ever.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will face Florida State for the second time in program history, as they will make the trip down to Tallahassee for a Friday, 6 p.m. contest in a game that will be streamed live on the ACC Digital Network.
