KSU at Central Arkansas Box Score (PDF)
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CONWAY, Ark. – With a convincing road win Friday night in which it led by double-digits for the majority of the contest, the Kennesaw State Owls claimed the first-ever ASUN men's basketball regular season championship in school history after its 72-56 victory at Central Arkansas from the Ferris Center. KSU finishes the regular season with a 23-8 overall record, and 15-3 in the conference for a tie with Liberty atop the standings. However, the Owls hold the tiebreaker due to their win over the Flames in Kennesaw on Feb. 16, giving KSU the No. 1 seed in next week's ASUN Tournament.
By virtue of earning the No. 1 seed, KSU has also clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time in the school's Division I era (since 2005-06). If the Owls do not win the ASUN tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament, they will receive an auto-bid from the NIT, awarded to regular season conference champions, or the No. 1 seed in case of a tie at the top.
NEXT UP - ASUN TOURNAMENT: The next action for the Owls will be in the ASUN Tournament, held on Feb. 27-Mar. 5, with all games in the quarterfinals through the championship game played at the higher seeds. The Owls' first opponent will be either No. 9 seed Queens or No. 10 seed FGCU, who will play in a First Round matchup at Kennesaw State on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 pm. The winner will advance to face KSU on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 pm. The semifinals are set for Thursday, March 2, and the championship game will be played on Sunday, March 5. Tickets are available now at KSUOwls.com for all games played at KSU.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior
Terrell Burden had a strong night for the Owls with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU held the Bears to just 34% shooting (21-of-61), including 10-of-33 for 30.3% in the first half.
THE RUNDOWN: UCA's lone lead of the game came on a pair of free throws, 16-15 with 11:51 to play. A three-pointer from
Spencer Rodgers started a 21-4 run for the Owls over the next eight minutes, and UCA never seriously threatened again.
POST-GAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH AMIR-ABDUR-RAHIM
On what winning the regular season title means -
"All the praise goes to the most high, all the recognition should go to our players, the staff, our administration. For me it means I've had really good people around me that have believed in the vision of the program, we've stuck with it, and we stand here as regular season champions because we stayed together, we stayed the course, we didn't quit, so it means a ton."
On the player of Terrell Burden, Demond Robinson and Chris Youngblood -
"I say it all the time, those guys are a reflection of the entire team. They are a reflection of a group of guys that don't care who gets the credit, they don't care who scores the most points, they don't care who gets player of the game. Because they don't care who gets the credit, every night those games are allowed to be their natural selves. You talk about a 31-game season and not able to do it every game, but every day in practice, those guys have been as consistent as anyone."
On playing every ASUN tournament game at home –
"It's huge, just being able to sleep in your own bed, play in your own gym. Before every game we put a word up on the board, a thing for the game, and tonight it was familiar. When you get to host every game and it's a place and people you're familiar with that's a huge advantage. But our league is one of the best in the country and no matter who comes in there we're going to have to be on our "A" game and ready to play."
On the importance of getting a first-round bye –
"We're going to make sure our guys get their bodies recovered. We finished five of the last eight on the road, we're a little beat up and tired, so we need to make sure they manage their bodies but still staying sharp and getting work in for whoever it is we play. It's a really good league with really good players and coaches, so we're going to make sure we recover but also to stay sharp and be ready for Tuesday."
NOTES
-The ASUN regular season crown is the first for the Owls since claiming the 2004-05 Peach Belt Conference regular season championship in the school's last year as a Division II program.
-KSU's 23
nd victory 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' 15
th ASUN win also extends the new school standard, topping the 2006-07 team that went 10-10 in the conference.
-KSU is one of just six teams in the nation with 10 or more road victories (10-6).
-
Demond Robinson led the Owls in scoring with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while
Chris Youngblood also finished in double-figures with 12 points.
Brandon Stroud led all players with 11 rebounds, which moved him into fourth place all-time at KSU with 514 rebounds.
-As a team, KSU shot 40.6% from the floor, and hit 11-of-33 from three-point range (33.3%).
-The Owls held a 45-35 edge on the boards, and held a 17-9 edge on points off turnovers.
-KSU is now 3-0 all-time against Central Arkansas.
