Postgame Press Conference – Antoine Pettway - Simeon Cottle – Adrian Wooley
Follow KSU Men's Basketball - X | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – The backcourt duo of Simeon Cottle and Adrian Wooley combined for 53 points on Thursday night to lead Kennesaw State past Western Kentucky 76-69 in Conference USA men's basketball action from the Convocation Center. The Owls moved to 11-1 at home with the victory, 14-9 overall and are now in a tie for second place in CUSA at 6-4. WKU meanwhile fell to 14-9, and 5-5 in league action.
OWL OF THE GAME: Cottle posted his second 30+ point game of the season after scorching the nets on 10-of-14 shooting, which included a 4-of-8 mark from three-point land. He also added five rebounds in the victory.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU held the Hilltoppers to just 34.9% (22-of-63) from the floor, and 32.1% (9-of-28) from three-point range. The Owls meanwhile shot 44.6% (25-of-56), including 48% in the second half.
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls soared from the tip, opening up a 16-2 lead, with 14 of the 16 coming from the backcourt duo of Cottle and Wooley. A 7-0 run would then give the Owls their largest lead of the half, 31-15, with 7:05 on the clock. KSU then went cold, and would not score again the rest of the half. Their defensive effort however only allowed nine points over that stretch, and the Owls went into the half with a 31-25 advantage.
THE SECOND HALF: The story of the second half was runs by the Hilltoppers, and counters from the Owls. WKU scored the first three after halftime to close within three, and it was a four-point margin, 36-32, with 16:34 on the clock. Three-pointers from Cottle and Rongie Gordon bookended a 10-0 spurt, putting KSU ahead 46-32. That was answered by a 10-2 run from the visitors, as back-to-back threes made it a six-point contest again. Five unanswered from Cottle and Wooley pushed the edge back to 11, and a late 7-0 run gave KSU its largest lead of the night, 74-58 with 1:19 to play.
NOTES
- KSU dominated the boards, as the fourth-leading rebounding team in the nation pounded the boards for a 50-32 margin.
- Wooley posted his second double-double of the season with 23 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
- Frankquon Sherman narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Gordon grabbed 11 rebounds to tie for the team-lead along with Wooley.
- The win was the first-ever for the Owls against WKU after dropping the first three meetings, including this year's earlier matchup in Bowling Green.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the four-game homestand on Saturday when they host Middle Tennessee in a 5 p.m. contest. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
