KSU vs Liberty Box Score (PDF)
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KENNESAW, Ga. – In the biggest home game in Kennesaw State men's basketball history, the Owls rallied from 14 points down in the second half to claim a thrilling 88-81 victory on Thursday night over Liberty for its first-ever win over the Flames in 10 meetings. The victory gives KSU sole possession of first place after the instant classic between front-runners in the ASUN conference on Thursday night. It was a balanced attack that led the Owls, as all five starters finished in double-figures, helping offset a 43-point performance from Liberty's Darius McGhee.
In front of a Convocation Crowd of 3,059, the fourth-largest home crowd in school history, the Owls moved their school-record home win streak to 14 games, which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in the nation. KSU also increased its school-record win total to 21 (21-7 overall), and stand-alone atop the ASUN standings at 13-2 after the first top-50 win in school history, as Liberty (21-7, 12-3 ASUN) came into the night at No. 46 in the NET rankings.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls shot a blistering 72% from the floor in the second half (18-of-25). That included a 5-of-8 mark from three-point range for 65.2%. Meanwhile, after connecting on 57.1% of its shots in the first half, Liberty was held to 48.3% (14-of-29) after halftime.
THE TURNING POINT: While the Owls faced several large deficits in the second half, including 14 (54-40) with 16:55 to play and 11 (70-59) with 7:35 on the clock, the Flames still looked to be in control after a McGhee trey with 6:09 left for a 73-64 advantage. KSU then turned the ball over on the next possession after being whistled for an offensive charge, giving the Flames the chance for a double-digit lead. Instead, Demond Robinson made a huge block a Liberty layup attempt, swatting the ball emphatically and lifting the Owl crowd to their feet. Chris Youngblood came down with the ball and would hit a trey on the other end, the start of a 14-2 run over the next three minutes. Youngblood scored nine of KSU's 14 points during that game-changing run, including hitting one of two free throws with 2:44 to play to knot the game at 75-75, and followed that with a three-pointer for a 78-75 lead, KSU's first advantage since it was 12-10 in the first half.
McGhee tied the game on the other end with a three-pointer, but that was his final points of the game. Terrell Burden then took over, scoring the next five points for an 83-78 lead. He added a pair of free throws for an eight-point edge, and Liberty finished the final five minutes hitting just two of its eight attempts from the floor.
OWL OF THE GAME: Youngblood tied his season-high with 22 points, his fourth 20+ point game of the year, while hitting 8-of-9 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three-point range and 3-of-4 at the line. He also added five rebounds, six assists and three steals.
THE FIRST HALF: It was a high scoring game at the start, and the lead switch hands several times over the opening seven minutes. KSU went up 12-10 on a Spencer Rodgers trey, and though it never led again in the half, they Owls stayed close for most of the opening 20 minutes. After Brandon Stroud drained a three-point to bring KSU within 28-26, Liberty scored the next six points to go up by eight and took a five-point edge into halftime (41-36).
THE SECOND HALF: Stroud opened the second with a jumper to make it a three-point game. Liberty responded with a 13-2 spurt over the next two minutes, going up 54-40 after back-to-back three-pointers from the Flames. McGhee made three-of-three at the line with 7:25 to keep the edge at double-digits, 70-59, before the Owls would make their game-ending rally.
POST-GAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH AMIR-ABDUR-RAHIM
On the second half comeback - "It starts with the connection, what we've felt since last summer. Their preservice, their resolve, nothing is too big for them.
On the run by Liberty to open the second half - "Liberty has punched us in the mouth coming out of halftime the last four years, and before we would have been rattled, and we would have hung our heads. But that tells you the growth of our program, and of our university. We are a spitting image of our university, our community, and I can't be more proud of our guys."
On the play of Chris Youngblood - "Chris Youngblood, he prepares every single day and trains every single day. Tomorrow morning if I tell him he would be here at 8 am ready to go. His preparation, and his believe in his teammates lets him have that kind of game tonight.
On the impact of the crowd helping the team rally in the second - "No question about it, 100%. I reminded them we've been in this kind of environment before, but normally it's been on the road with our backs against the wall. Tonight we had to make sure we didn't get too far ahead of ourselves and when we made our comeback we were able to feed off the energy of the crowd."
NOTES
-This is the first time in school history the Owls have been in sole possession of first place in the ASUN.
- KSU's 21st win of the season extends the school record (Division I era) for most wins in a season, as the previous record was 14 in 2016-17. It also surpasses the Owls' total wins from the previous three seasons combined (19).
-The Owls' 13th ASUN win also extends the new school standard, topping the 2006-07 team that went 10-10 in the conference.
-KSU is just one of 15 teams that are undefeated at home this season.
-KSU has now rallied for victories from double-digit deficits in four of the past five games, as the Owls trailed by 17 at Bellarmine (Feb. 2), 10 at Jax State (Feb. 9) and by 11 on Feb. 11, again against the Gamecocks.
-For the third time this season, the Owls placed five or more players in double-figure scoring. Joining Youngblood was Burden (19), Stroud (18), Robinson (13) and Rodgers (11).
-KSU finished the game shooting 56.1% (32-of-57) from the floor, 40% (8-of-20) from three-point range and 76.2% (16-of-21) at the charity stripe.
-The Owls held a 46-34 edge on points in the paint and forced 17 turnovers while coming up with nine steals.
-The Owls shot 56% in the second half and 43.9% for the game from the floor. KSU was also 17-of-23 from the free throw line for 73.9%, including 14-of-17 in the second half (82.4%).
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the week by hosting Queens on the Owls Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. Spencer Rodgers and Alex Peterson will be honored before the game, which will be streamed live on ESPN+.
