Box Score | Postgame Press Conference – Coach Antoine Pettway – Adrian Wooley
Follow KSU Men's Basketball - X | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State's freshmen trio of Adrian Wooley, Braedan Lue and Jamil Miller combined for 49 points on Thursday night to lead the Owls to an 83-73 victory over UTEP in Conference USA men's basketball action on Thursday night from the KSU Convocation Center. The Owls earned a split in the season series with the Miners and jumped past them in the conference standings into fourth place at 8-6, 16-11 overall. UTEP meanwhile fell to 17-9, 7-6 in the league.
OWLS OF THE GAME: Wooley led KSU with a team-high 21 points, while also passing out a team-best seven assists. Lue meanwhile finished 7-of-11 from the floor for 18 points and added six rebounds. Both Wooley and Lue were 4-of-7 from three-point range as well. Miller meanwhile was 5-of-7 from the floor, with several highlight reel dunks and layups to go along with a six-rebound night.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU shot 51.4% (18-of-35) in the first half, 50% (9-of-18) in the second half, and 50.9% (27-53) for the game. UTEP meanwhile was held to 48.3% in the opening half, and just 40% after halftime.
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls were on fire right from the start, as they took advantage of UTEP's defensive strategy to force outside shots. KSU hit a pair from deep in the first 90 seconds, and added a Miller baseline dunk for an 8-0 lead two minutes into the game. After two straight baskets from the Miners, KSU scored seven unanswered, going up 15-4 off a three-pointer from Lue. An 8-0 spurt midway through the half put the Owls ahead 31-18. After UTEP reeled off a 7-0 run, a layup from Miller started a 12-2 run over the final 5:26 to end the half. Simeon Cottle's three-point play with 1:59 were the final points of the half, putting KSU ahead 47-33.
THE SECOND HALF: A three-pointer from Wooley with 16:44 on the clock gave KSU its largest lead of the game at 56-37. UTEP slowly chipped away at the deficit, first closing within single digits at 54-56 with 11:17 to play. A 5-0 would close cut the margin further to just six points, 71-65 with 6:04 to play. The Owls would respond though, scoring six straight to go back up 77-65, and they would allow just one made field goal over the final four minutes to close out the 10-point victory.
NOTES
- With their 16th win of the season, the Owls have now posted the second-high win total in school history in its Division I history.
- For the first time since November, five Owls finished in double-figures, as Simeon Cottle posted 12 points and six assists, while Frankquon Sherman added 13 points.
- KSU knocked down 10 three-pointers and finished shooting 37% from three-point range.
- The Owls won the battle of the boards 32-30, and also finished with more points off turnovers with a 14-12 advantage.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out their regular season home slate with a Senior Night matchup against New Mexico State on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
