Box Score
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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Kennesaw State kept making run after run in the second half, cutting a 13-point lead down to two and were within three with 10 seconds left, before Middle Tennessee would escape with an 84-79 win at home over the visiting Owls in Conference USA men's basketball action on Thursday night from the Murphy Center. KSU was handed its first-ever loss as members of CUSA, dropping to 1-1 in league play, 9-6 overall, while the Blue Raiders improved to 11-5, 2-1 in the conference.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU came into the night ranked fourth in the league in field goal defense, but had trouble cooling down the Blue Raiders. MTSU shot 51.7% (30-of-58) from the floor for the night, and were 10-of-23 from three-point range for 43.5%.
THE FIRST HALF: Though the Blue Raiders held the lead for almost the entire opening 20 minutes, it was a close contest between the two squads. The Owls' lone lead of the half came at 4-3 off a jumper from Braedan Lue, and that was answered by an 8-2 run from MTSU for an 11-6 advantage. Everytime the Blue Raiders threatened to extend the lead, KSU would hit a big basket, helped by knocking down five treys in the half. The Blue Raiders meanwhile managed to find an answer anytime KSU came down with a chance to take a lead. The half ended with the teams trading three-pointers, and MTSU would go into the break up 43-39.
THE SECOND HALF: After Andre Weir, who scored a season-high 14 points in the game, opened the half with a layup to make it a two-point game, MTSU would score eight straight and used a 13-3 run to open up a 56-44 lead with 16:01 on the clock. The lead grew to as high as 13 points, 58-45, and was at 63-52 with 11:48 to play. KSU went to its bench for a spark, as nine unanswered by the Owls closed the lead to just two, 63-61 with 9:25 left. Three treys from the Blue Raiders over the next two minutes pushed the lead back to nine but the Owls kept battling. Down 82-73 with 1:35 left, KSU hit three free throws, and then Simeon Cottle hit a heavily contested three-pointer with 11 seconds left to make it an 82-79 score. MTSU would make a pair of free throws at the other end to seal the game with the five-point victory.
NOTES
- Adrian Wooley led the Owls in scoring with 24 points before fouling out in the final minute.
- Also in double-figures was Weir and Cottle, both with 14, and Lue with 10.
- KSU was held to 42.6% shooting (29-of-68), and just 29% (9-of-31) from three-point range.
- A tight battle on the boards went to the Blue Raiders 38-35, though KSU held a 15-7 advantage on second chance points.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the road trip when they face Western Kentucky in Bowling Green on Saturday at 2 p.m., in a game that will be streamed live on ESPN+.
