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KENNESAW, Ga. – After falling behind 10-1 to start the game, Kennesaw State finished the first half on a 42-14 run and used a school-record defensive performance to claim its eighth straight home victory, 76-53, over New Mexico State in Conference USA men's basketball action on Saturday night from VyStar Arena. The Owls moved to 14-8 overall, and 6-5 in league play, while NM State dropped to 10-11, and 3-8 in the conference.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls set a new school record by holding the Aggies to a 25% field goal percentage for the game (12-of-48). That is the lowest ever recorded by a Division I opponent against KSU. The Owls also held NM State to 12.5% from three-point range (12.5%), and forced 12 turnovers, leading to an 18-4 edge on points off turnovers.
OWL OF THE GAME: Sophomore guard
RJ Johnson continued his recent hot scoring streak, posting his fourth 20+ game in the past six contests. He finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and added nine rebounds and seven assists.
POSTGAME QUOTES – COACH ANTOINE PETTWAY: "We played extremely well on the defense end today. That's why we were able to get out in transition and score 76 points and win by that margin of victory. New Mexico State is a good team, and they've got a really good coach. But we had the right mindset today. You know, I told the guys, I just wanted their best, and their best is not making every shot. Their best is not making a mistake. Their best is just them having the best focus they can have, the best effort they can have, and they have bought into that."
THE FIRST HALF: Nothing went in for the Owls to start the game as they missed their first seven shots, and NM State took advantage to open up a 10-1 lead four minutes into the game. A jumper from
Braedan Lue broke the field goal drought, and started an 18-2 run over the next five minute stretch to put the Owls ahead 19-12. KSU would use runs of 7-0, 10-0 and 5-0 to go up by as much as 21 points, 43-22, in the final minute before the Aggies scored the final basket to make it a 19-point margin at the break. In addition to NM State being held to 28% in the first half, the other big story was the play of 5
th-year guard
Jaden Harris. A transfer from NM State, he came off the bench to score 11 points against his former team in the first half, to give him his high mark as an Owl with a half left to play.
THE SECOND HALF: The Owls did not let up on defense in the second half, allowing just five total field goals and a 21.7% field goal performance by the Aggies. KSU did not let up on offense either, stretching their advantage to as high as 28 four times, the last at 75-47 on Harris' fourth trey of the night, before emptying the bench for the final three minutes.
NOTES
- The 23-point win margin is the largest win margin ever for the Owls in a Conference USA contest, and the largest in a conference game since a 27-point home win over Austin Peay in an Atlantic Sun contest in the 2022-23 season.
- Harris finished with 16 points, more than any player from his former squad, in 32 total minutes of action, also his high as an Owl.
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Frankquon Sherman added 11 points and eight rebounds, while freshman
Amir Taylor was the fourth Owl in double-figures with 10 points.
- The Owls held a 38-30 edge on the boards, and a 14-6 advantage on second change points.
- KSU also finished with 30 points in the paint to 12 for the Aggies.
- The Owls moved to 3-1 all-time against the Aggies in the all-time series.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will have a week off before returning to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, with a road contest at Jacksonville State. The game will tip off at 5 p.m. 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.
