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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Kennesaw State men's basketball could not hold off Oral Roberts' sizzling shooting from three-point range, as the Golden Eagles shot 62% from long range to upset the Owls 91-83 Tuesday afternoon on the second day of play at the GEICO Coconut Hoops from Alico Arena.
STAT OF THE GAME: ORU shot season highs by a KSU opponent from the floor (56.3%) and from behind the arc after finishing 13-of-21. The Golden Eagles were best after halftime, shooting 61.5% from the floor and 66.7% (8-of-12) from three-point land in the second 20 minutes. They also missed just four total free throws (24-of-28).
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls defense was on point to start the afternoon, holding Oral Roberts to just seven points in the opening 10 minutes while opening up a 15-7 edge. But missed free throws would come back to hurt KSU, as it made just six of 13 at the charity stripe. ORU slowly climbed back into the game, and used a 6-1 run over the final two minutes to take a 37-34 lead into halftime. Foul trouble also hurt the Owls in the first half, with three starters finishing on the bench after picking up two fouls each.
THE SECOND HALF: The lead hovered between one to two possessions for ORU for the first seven minutes after the break.
Braedan Lue then came up big by drawing a foul and sinking a pair of free throws, and then draining a jumper to start a 10-3 run for the Owls. A pair of free throws from
Simeon Cottle would give KSU the lead back at 61-59. The Owls would hold onto the lead for the next five minutes, going up four three times, the last off a
Frankquon Sherman jumper with 5:27 to play. KSU would connect on just two field goals the rest of the way though, while three different Golden Eagles hit a trey during a game-changing 11-0 spurt in just 1:46 that put the Eagles up 81-74. KSU did close the lead down to four with 31 seconds left, but the Golden Eagles hit six free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win.
NOTES
- Lue and Cottle were limited to just 27 and 21 total minutes, as Cottle would foul out while Lue finished with four. The duo still paced KSU in scoring, as Lue posted 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Cottle added 15.
-Also in double-figures was
Kaden Rickard with 14 and
Darius Washington III with 10.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out play in the GEICO Coconut Hoops on Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. battle against the host FGCU Eagles. The game will be streamed live on FloSports.
The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
