Box Score | Simeon Cottle Quotes | Adrian Wooley Quotes | Antoine Pettway Quotes
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KENNESAW, Ga. – For the third time in the past five games, Kennesaw State's starting backcourt of Simeon Cottle and Adrian Wooley both scored 20 or more points and the Owls shot over 53% in the second half to break a halftime tie and claim their first-ever Conference USA victory, 83-71 over rival Jacksonville State on Saturday night from the Convocation Center. With a win in their conference opener, the Owls moved to 9-5 overall, while Jax State dropped to 8-6.
OWLS OF THE GAME: Cottle notched his seventh 20+ point game of the season, as he poured in a game-high 28 points on 9-of-21 shooting. He was also 4-of-11 from three-point range and 6-of-7 at the line.
STAT OF THE GAME: Jax State came into the game ranked 10th in the nation in rebound margin, but it was the Owls that dominated the boards by a 44-27 margin. That included a 15-10 edge on offensive rebounds. Senior forward Rongie Gordon led the way with a season-high 12 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds.
THE FIRST HALF: After Jax State opened with a 1-0 lead, the Owls scored the next nine points of the game, and led 11-4 eight minutes after forcing the Gamecocks into 11 straight misses from the floor. Jax State did not hit its first field goal until a jumper at 10:54, which started a 7-0 run that tied the game at 11-11 with 9:51 to play. A trey from Cottle gave KSU the lead back, and the edge slowly grew to nine points, 30-21 off a dunk from Gordon with five minutes to go. It was an eight-point lead when the Gamecocks scored the final eight points of the half to tie the game at 36-36 going into the break.
THE SECOND HALF: Jax State's Jaron Pierre Jr., who entered the game as the nation's third-leading scorer, was held to just seven first half points but opened the second with a jumper to give the visitors their second lead of the game. The lead changed hands eight more times over the next six minutes, with Jax State taking its last lead on a jumper with 13:34 to play. Freshman Braedan Lue then drained a three-pointer, while Cottle hit a pair of treys and Lue added a dunk for a game-changing 11-0 run. Cottle's second three-pointer put the Owls up 56-46 with 11:45 to play. KSU would lead by at least nine for the next eight minutes, until back-to-back threes from Pierre Jr. closed the Gamecocks within 78-70 with 3:09 to play. That was the last field goal allowed by KSU, as Jax State was held to just one free throw the rest of the way.
NOTES
- KSU now leads the all-time series 4-2, and have won the past three games against the Gamecocks.
- The Owls have now won their conference opener for a fourth straight season.
- All three starting freshman for KSU finished in double-figures, led by Wooley's 20-point, eight-rebound performance. Lue added 12 points and five rebounds, while Jamil Miller added 11 points and six rebounds.
- KSU shot 45.5% (30-of-66) for the game, and 53.1% (17-of-32) in the second half from the floor. The Owls also hit 13-of-17 at the line for 76.5%.
- The attendance of 2,007 was the 13th largest in school history.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will take to the road for the first time in Conference USA play, starting with a Thursday night, 7:30 p.m. contest at Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in a game that will be streamed live on ESPN+.
