Follow KSU Men's Basketball - X | Instagram
RUSTON, La. – After shooting the lights out in the first half, Kennesaw State did not have the same shooting form in the second, allowing Louisiana Tech to outscore the Owls by 15 after halftime to hand KSU an 82-76 loss on Friday afternoon in Conference USA men's basketball action from the Thomas Assembly Center. The loss, KSU's second straight on the road, dropped the Owls to 12-8 overall, 4-5 in league play, while the Bulldogs moved to 11-8, 4-4 in CUSA.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU could not buy a shot after halftime, connecting on just 7-of-29 from the floor (24.1%), 1-of-11 from three-point range (9.1%). The Bulldogs meanwhile shot 52% from the field, and hit 6-of-8 from distance (75%).
THE FIRST HALF: Both offenses were on track in the opening half, as Louisiana Tech finished shooting 54% from the floor. However, the Owls were simply on fire, finishing 16-of-24 for 67%, and more impressively was 6-of-9 from three-point range, also 67%. It was a back and forth contest for the opening 11 minutes, and four straight points from the Bulldogs gave them a 24-22 advantage.
Trey Simpson answered with four unanswered points for the Owls, starting an 8-0 run over the next two minutes. The run would eventually runed into a 15-3 spurt, with a trey from
Kaden Rickard giving KSU its largest lead of the half at 37-27. KSU blocked a shot at the end of the half to keep the margin at nine points, and the Owls were led in the half by the duo of Simpson and Sherman with a combined 25 points.
THE SECOND HALF: The lead was still eight in favor of KSU when the Bulldogs ran off seven straight to close within 52-51. A pair of baskets from Rickard pushed the lead up to 56-53, while three straight points from Sherman made it a 59-53 lead for KSU with 12:45 to play. Next was a huge game-changing play, as LA Tech made a basket down low and was fouled.
Braedan Lue grabbed the rebound off the ensuring free throw miss, but it was incorrectly whistled as goaltending. While the call was reversed, possession was given to the Bulldogs due to alternating possession, and they promptly hit a three-pointer, while adding another basket on the next time down the court to take its first lead of the half at 60-59. KSU would tie the game at 60-60, but five more points from the Bulldogs completed a 14-2 run and put them up 67-61. A 5-0 run from KSU brought the Owls within one, and then LA Tech reeled off a 12-4 run for a 79-70 advantage to clinch the game.
NOTES
- Sherman finished with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds for the Owls, while Simpson added 16 and also posted seven rebounds.
- Also in double-figures was Lue with 12 points and
Darius Washington III with 10.
- KSU shot 43.4% for the game (23-of-53), and was 7-of-20 from three-point range (35%).
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will be back home to start another three-game homestand. Starting off the home stretch will be a Wednesday, Jan. 17 contest against Western Kentucky on ESPN+, with the game tipping off at 7 p.m. in VyStar Arena.
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.
