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SAN JOSE, Calif. – A rough shooting night for Kennesaw State put the Owls in an early hole, while KSU was held to just four made field goals over the final 10 minutes in an 89-65 road loss at San Jose State on Saturday night from the Provident Credit Union Event Center. KSU dropped to 7-5 with the loss while the Spartans improved to 7-6.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU was held to 33.3% shooting (20-of-60) for the night, and were just 7-of-29 from three-point land. SJSU meanwhile shot 50% or better in both halfs, and were 30-of-58 for 51.7% for the game.
THE FIRST HALF: KSU's struggle from the three-point line allowed the Spartans to build an early eight-point edge, as the Owls missed their first eight from behind the arc. Simeon Cottle would knock in a pair 30 seconds apart to bring the Owls back into the game. The lead remained around 10 the rest of the half. With 3.6 seconds left, Mekhi Turner scored off an offensive board and drew the foul. He missed the free throw however and SJSU would knock in a running jumper from behind midcourt at the buzzer for a 45-33 halftime advantage.
THE SECOND HALF: Ramone Seals and Cottle sparked an Owl run coming out of halftime. The two combined for 12 of KSU's next 14 points, with a layup from Cottle cutting the deficit to just three, 50-47 with 15:59 on the clock. A 10-2 spurt by the Spartans pushed the edge back to 11 (60-49), but KSU wasn't done fighting. Five straight, three from Adrian Wooley and a layup from Jamil Miller made the score 60-54 with 10:32 to play. A 12-2 run from the Spartans pushed the lead back to 16, and SJSU would outscore the Owls 29-11 over the final 10 minutes.
NOTES
- Cottle led KSU with 22 points.
- Miller grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds for KSU, who held a 51-37 edge on the boards. The Owls also posted an 18-5 edge on second chance points.
- KSU turned the ball over 14 times, which resulted in a 22-6 advantage for SJSU on points off turnovers.
- This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls break for a week before returning to action on Sunday, Dec. 29, when they host Brewton-Parker in a 2 p.m. contest at the KSU Convocation Center. A free kids clinic will follow postgame, with more information available on KSUOwls.com.
