Antoine Pettway Postgame PC
Follow KSU Men's Basketball - X | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State's nine-game home win streak was snapped on Thursday night, as the Owls' struggles from three-point range led to a 76-68 loss to Liberty in Conference USA men's basketball action from the Convocation Center. KSU dropped to 12-9 overall with the setback, 4-4 in CUSA play, while the Flames improved to 17-4, 5-3 in the conference.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU connected on just six out of 32 total attempts from three-point range, finishing at 18.8%. Liberty meanwhile shot over 40% in each half from behind the arc, and finished 11-of-26 overall (42.3%), giving them a difference of 15 more points from three-point range.
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls led just once in the game at 4-2 on a Simeon Cottle layup, and trailed by two, 9-7 after a Braedan Lue free throw with 13:17 on the clock. Liberty responded with an 8-0 run that included back-to-back threes for a 17-7 edge. The lead grew as high as 11 in the first half, while the Flames sank a shot at the buzzer for a 38-28 lead. The Flames shot 53.8% in the opening 20 minutes, while KSU was held to just 35.5%.
THE SECOND HALF: After falling behind by 14 minutes in, the Owls made a run with eight unanswered. Andre Weir started things off with a three-point play, followed by a trey from Lue and a layup from Adrian Wooley to cut the edge to 44-38 with 15:16 to play. KSU would close within six three more times. The second time, at 56-50 on a jumper from Cottle, was answered by a 9-0 run from Liberty to push the edge to 15 points. The Owls wouldn't go away, and slowly chopped away at the lead, with a 9-2 spurt making the score 71-65 on a Rongie Gordon hook shot with under two minutes to play. Liberty hit a three on the other end to go back up nine, and held on to give KSU its first home loss of the season.
NOTES
- Wooley led all scorers with 22 points.
- Also in double-figures was Weir with his first double-double as an Owl with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Cottle was third in scoring with 10 points.
- KSU finished with a 45-27 edge on the boards, and a 16-2 on second chance points.
- The loss snapped KSU's two-game win streak over the Flames.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls host FIU on Saturday, Feb. 1 in a 5 p.m. contest in the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
