Box Score | KSU Head Coach Antoine Pettway Postgame Video
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LETHBRIDGE, Alberta – Kennesaw State held Towson scoreless for the last 3:12 of overtime and went four-of-four at the line in the final 47 seconds to break a tie game and claim a 67-63 win on Friday night in the second day of the Western Slam from the ENMAX Centre. The Owls moved to 6-2 on the year with the win, the first-time in school history they have won six games in the month of November, and 1-1 in the Western Slam, while Towson dropped to 4-4 overall.
OWL OF THE GAME: Jamil Miller scored a career-high 18 points and added seven rebounds to pace the Owls.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU made both of its field goal attempts in overtime and was 4-of-6 at the free throw line. Towson meanwhile was limited to just 2-of-12 shooting in overtime, 0-3 from three-point range and 1-3 at the free throw line.
THE FIRST HALF: Adrian Wooley started the Owls off with a trey and they would hold the lead for the rest of the half. Another trey from Braedan Lue and baskets from Miller and Wooley gave the Owls a 10-2 edge less than four minutes into the contest. The lead was at four, 23-19 off a Wooley jumper when the Tigers scored four straight to tie the game. Wooley answered with a trey on the other end, and the Owls ended the half on a 9-4 run for a 35-29 halftime advantage.
THE SECOND HALF: Towson started fast after the break, going on a 19-5 run over the opening eight minutes. That gave the Tigers a 48-40 advantage with 11:52 to play. A three-point play from Miller snapped the run, and a pair of Frankquon Sherman free throws closed KSU within 52-48. Towson went 1-of-2 at the line for a 53-48 lead, but the Owls would hold them scoreless for the next six minutes. A Simeon Cottle trey and two free throws from Lue tied the game, while Ricardo Wright drained a three-pointer for a 56-53 KSU lead with 1:58 to play. After a miss on the other end, Rongie Gordon saved an offensive rebound and found Miller driving inside for a layup and a five-point edge. Towson didn't go away easy, hitting a pair of free throws, and then coming up with a steal and hitting a trey with 30.8 seconds left to tie the game at 58-58.
OVERTIME: The teams traded baskets on the first two possessions, while Towson hit a free throw and a layup for a 63-61 edge with 3:12 to play. That was the Tigers last point of the game, while Lue would convert a layup to knot the score at 63-63 with 2:56 to play. Neither team could score for the next two minutes, until Wright drew a foul and sank both free throws for a two-point edge. Towson had four chances to tie or take the team and missed on all four attempts, with Cottle coming up with the final rebound. He was fouled and sank both free throws with just over a second left to seal the win.
NOTES
- Wright passed the 1,000 career point mark, as he entered the game three points away and finished with 13 off the bench.
- Wooley also finished in double-figures with 16 points.
- KSU held the Tigers to just 33% from the floor (25-of-75) and 18% (5-of-28) from three-point range.
- KSU is now 2-1 in overtime contests under Coach Antoine Pettway.
- The Owls evened the all-time series with Towson at 1-1.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the Western Slam against Kent State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m (ET, and the contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
