KSU vs Lipscomb Box Score (PDF)

KSU Postgame Press Conference  | Lipscomb Postgame Press Conference
Updated ASUN Bracket | KSU ASUN Tournament Central

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KENNESAW, Ga. – It was another incredible atmosphere inside the KSU Convocation Center  on Thursday night in the ASUN Semifinals, as the No. 1 seeded Kennesaw State Owls scored the final six points of the game to earn its first-ever trip to the conference championship game with an 80-71 win over fifth-seed Lipscomb on Thursday night. In front of a crowd of 3,137, the fourth-largest in school history, the Owls claimed their second win over Lipscomb this season to improve to 25-8 overall, while the Bisons fell to 20-13.

The Owls are now set for a rematch with No. 2 seed Liberty on Sunday, Mar. 5 at 3 p.m. on ESPN2, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Sunday will mark the first nationally televised men's basketball home game in Kennesaw State history.

OWL OF THE GAME: Senior Terrell Burden led the Owls with 20 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the floor and tying his career-high in three-pointers made by going 3-for-4, including a key trey near the end of the shot clock in the final minutes. He also added six rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

STAT OF THE GAME: Against one of the top field goal defenses in the ASUN, the Owls shot 51.8% (29-of-56) from the floor, and hit 11-of-25 from three-point range at 44%. That included 56% (14-of-25) in the second half.

THE FIRST HALF: The Owls came out of the locker room scorching hot with a 19-6 run in the first seven minutes with five points apiece from Burden and Brandon Stroud. Kennesaw State never led by less than eight points following the 14:34 mark and acquired five different 13-point leads and by as much as 16. KSU shot 48.4% from the floor and 42.9% from beyond the arc. Burden led all Owls with 11 points, shooting 4-for-9. The Bisons never led in the first half and KSU had the advantage for all but 30 seconds.

THE SECOND HALF: The second stanza saw a back-and-forth slugfest through the first 10 minutes until the Bisons reeled off a 12-0 run over a 2:30 span. A three-point play by Lipscomb make the score 59-57 with 7:08 to play. The Owls kept answering back, but couldn't put the Bisons away, and it was still a one-possession game with just over a minute left. KSU held a 74-71 edge but with the shot clock getting close to zero, had the ball poked away when trying to pass inside. Chris Youngblood tracked down the ball right in front of the KSU bench, and with a second left on the shot clock, quickly unleashed a 30-foot shot that found nothing but the bottom of the net. That put KSU up six with a minute to play, effectively clinching the win. KSU made 3-of-4 at the line in the last minute to claim the nine-point victory.

NOTES 

-KSU's 25^th 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 have both advanced to their first-ever ASUN Championship game, and won two games in the ASUN tournament for the first-time ever. Dating back to last season, KSU has won three of its past four games in the conference tournament.

-This will be the second-ever meeting between KSU and Liberty in the ASUN Tournament. The Flames were the No. 1 seed in the 2021 tournament when they claimed a 69-59 win over the eighth-seeded Owls in the quarterfinals in Jacksonville, Fla.

-KSU is 1-9 all-time against Liberty but broke a nine-game losing streak with an 88-81 win over Liberty on February 16 in Kennesaw.

-Burden's 20-point game marked the seventh 20-point game of his KSU career and the third of this season. His seven assists are the second-most ever by an Owl in an ASUN Tournament game, trailing his eight against Eastern Kentucky in the 2022 First Round.

-Three Owls finished in double-figures, as Stroud just missed a double-double with 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Alex Peterson was strong off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting along with six rebounds.