KSU at UNC Asheville Box Score (PDF)
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Kennesaw State fought as hard as it could in the second half, cutting down a lead as high as 23 to just seven in the final minutes, but the Owls' poor shooting at the start and at the free throw line were too much to overcome as their five-game win streak was snapped in a 79-70 setback at UNC Asheville on Saturday afternoon. This ties the season series between the two at 1-1, as KSU claimed an overtime victory over the Bulldogs on Dec. 5 in Kennesaw. KSU dropped to 9-4 on the season with the setback, which also stopped the Owls' two-game road win streak. The Bulldogs meanwhile improved to 8-6 overall.
STAT OF THE GAME: Thanks to 14 first-half fouls called on the Owls, UNC Asheville made a living at the free throw line in the first half, going 19-of-20. For the game, the Bulldogs were 28-of-31 (90.3%), while KSU did find its way to the charity stripe in the second half but for the afternoon were just 18-of-30 (60%).
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls could not buy a basket at the start, missing their first seven shots in falling behind 11-0. The lead grew as high as 23 three times in the opening half, the last at 40-17, as KSU would open the contest going 0-of-13 from three-point range. The Owls finally connected on a pair from behind the arc, thanks to
Jusaun Holt, and would go into halftime down 51-33.
THE SECOND HALF: The second 20 minutes was a different story, as the Owls matched the home team's intensity right from the start.
Terrell Burden, who scored 15 of his team-high 22 points after halftime, sparked the KSU rally as the lead was slowly chopped down. Four straight points from the senior point guard brought KSU within 60-50 with 12:11 on the clock, but the Bulldogs kept the lead in double digits for the next nine minutes. A
Simeon Cottle layup brought KSU to 74-65 with under two to play, and following a Bulldog dunk, two Cottle free throws and a Burden layup brought the Owls within seven with 56 seconds to play. UNC Asheville would hit three of four at the line over the next 20 seconds to seal the win.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH ANTOINE PETTWAY
"We knew it would be a tremendous challenge facing an experienced UNC Asheville squad that was returning four starters from their NCAA Tournament team from a year ago. We didn't get off to the start that we needed to in order to win the game, and we spent the second half climbing out of the hole that we created for ourselves. We have got to be better at the free throw line, and continue to get open looks and knock open shots down. We will learn from this, regroup and get ready to play Indiana on the 29
th."
NOTES
-Burden finished the day with seven assists to go along with his 22 points. Also in double-figures was Cottle with 12,
Quincy Ademokoya with 12 and Holt with a career-high 11.
-The Owls shot 23-of-63 (36.5%) from the floor, and were 6-of-29 from three-point range (20.7%).
-KSU lost the rebounding battle 49-30, but were helped by forcing 18 turnovers while committing just eight.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will return to action following the Christmas holiday with a road contest to Indiana for the second straight year. This season's contest will tip off in Bloomington on Friday, Dec. 29 at 6 pm, and will be streamed live on the B1G+ network.
