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KENNESAW, Ga. – Sparked by career performances from
Trey Simpson and
RJ Johnson, Kennesaw State rallied from a 13-point second half deficit, ending the game on an 8-0 run in the final three minutes to win its sixth straight game at home, 89-86 over FIU in a thrilling Conference USA men's basketball contest on Wednesday night in VyStar Arena. With their third straight win in league play, the Owls moved to 11-6 overall, 3-3 in CUSA, while the Panthers dropped to 9-9, 2-4 in the conference.
STAT OF THE GAME: After the Panthers scored on a layup to go up 81-70, KSU played shutdown defense, forcing FIU into eight consecutive missed shots over the final 6:12 of the contest. Over that same stretch, the Owls were 6-of-10 from the field, including hitting three straight threes in a 90-second stretch.
OWLS OF THE GAME: Both Simpson and Johnson set new career-highs in leading KSU to the victory. Simpson also tied a KSU school record, hitting eight three-pointers on the way to 28 points. Johnson meanwhile came off the bench with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and he also added a season-high seven assists.
THE FIRST HALF: The first half was played at a frantic pace, with the two teams combining for 75 total shot attempts. Defense was the story in the opening minutes, as each team struggled to score from the floor, until the story flipped and both teams were deadly accurate to end the half. The first four baskets also told another factor of the game story, as a pair of Simpson treys to open the game for KSU was answered by a pair of threes from the Panthers. That started a 14-0 run for the Panthers, with a jumper putting them ahead 14-6 six minutes in. A 14-4 spurt put the Owls back ahead, and each team threw more runs at each other the rest of the opening half. Six unanswered points gave KSU a 33-30 lead, and they also led 44-41 on a Johnson dunk with 2:43 to play. Ten straight from the Panthers put them back ahead at 51-44, while Simpson ended the scoring with his sixth trey of the half to close KSU within four.
THE SECOND HALF: A
Simeon Cottle trey brought KSU within 52-50 in the beginning of the second half. Back-to-back threes from FIU started a 10-2 run for a 63-53 lead, and the Panthers grew the lead as high as 13, 75-62 with 10:10 to play. After FIU's last basket at the 7:03 mark, Johnson and Cottle took over, scoring 19 of the game's final 24 points. Johnson started things off with five straight, while a Cottle trey made the score 82-78 at the 4:51 mark. FIU would sink four-of-four at the line to counter a Johnson trey to keep the visitors ahead 86-81 with 3:30 on the clock. Cottle then hit another trey, while Johnson hit a free throw and then a layup with 1:49 to play for KSU's first lead since the first half at 87-86. Both teams would come up scoreless on their next possessions, and the Panthers came down the court with under 20 seconds looking to take back the lead, but Cottle would come up with a game-saving steal and was fouled. He sank both free throws for a three-point KSU lead, and the Owls forced one final missed shot to claim the win.
NOTES
- Wednesday marked just the second time in school history that three players have scored 20 or more points in the same game in school history (D1 era), as Cottle finished with 21 points.
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Frankquon Sherman set a new career-high with 16 rebounds.
- KSU shot 43% (28-of-65) for the game, and was 16-of-35 from three-point range for 45.7%. That offset a sub-par performance at the line (17-of-29 for 58.6%).
- FIU hit 8-of-13 from three-point range in the opening half, but would make only 2-of-9 after halftime.
- The 13-point deficit was the largest overcome by KSU this season, and the largest comeback win since trailing by 17 in a win at Jax State on March 8, 2025.
- KSU tied a season-high with 10 blocks.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will now go on the road to start a three-game road swing, beginning with Saturday's contest in Bowling Green, Ky., against Western Kentucky. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. (ET) and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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.
