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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Kennesaw State's
RJ Johnson scored seven of his game-high 29 points in the final two minutes including the go-ahead free throw and then a short jumper with 37 seconds for a three-point edge in the Owls' 91-87 road victory at Missouri State in Conference USA men's basketball action on Wednesday night from the Great Southern Bank Arena. The Owls earned a season sweep of Missouri State with the win, moving to 15-11 overall, 7-8 in league play. The Bears dropped to 13-13, and also 7-8 in the conference.
OWL OF THE GAME: Johnson finished the night 8-of-13 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. He was at his best in the second half, going 5-of-7 from the floor, 6-of-9 at the line, for 18 points in the final 20 minutes. Johnson also added four assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals.
STAT OF THE GAME: Six different Owls hit from outside in the victory, with KSU finishing the game 14-of-26 for 54%, a season-high from three-point range. Leading the way was Johnson and Jadan Harris with four treys each. The Bears made 9-of-24, for 38%.
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls were hot from outside to start the game, hitting four of their first six from three-point range, all from four different players, to open up a 17-9 edge five minutes inot the contest. KSU then held off every challenge from the Bears, who would close within four twice, but both times that was answered by a trey from
Jaden Harris. He added a third from behind the arc with 4:41 on the clock to put the Owls up 39-31. The Owls combined that with a huge defensive effort that did not allow a field goal over the final five minutes, giving them a 44-34 advantage at the break. Eight different Owls scored in the opening half, while they held Missouri State to just 37.5% from the floor.
THE SECOND HALF: KSU pushed the lead as high as 12, 53-41 on a Johnson three-point play. Missouri State then slowly chipped away at the margin, An 8-2 run closed the Bears within 63-60, and following an
Amir Taylor three, Missouri State scored five unanswered to make it a one-point game. A
Frankquon Sherman dunk put the Owls up 78-74, which was followed by four straight free throws from the Bears to tie the score with 4:54 to play. The Owls led by two with over two minutes to play before Missouri State hit from three-point land to take its first lead since the opening minutes, 83-82 with 2:16 on the clock. Johnson answered on the other end with a trey to put KSU back up two. Missouri State tied the game again on a pair of free throws, but Johnson would go one-of-two at the line for a one-point lead, and then
Perry Smith Jr. came up with the play of the game, blocking the Bears' Michael Osei-Bonsu right under the basket and then coming up with the defensive rebound as well. Johnson would penetrate and score on a short jumper on the ensuring possession with under 40 seconds left, and the Owls would close out the road victory.
POSTGAME QUOTES – HEAD COACH ANTOINE PETTWAY
"I want to commend that locker room, that was a huge road win, especially after a tough three-game stretch in which we lost a couple at home. I asked those guys to stay together, and fight through adversity. We beat a really good team tonight, Cuonzo Martin is one of the best coaches in the country, Missouri State is a talented team and we knew it would be a hard-fought game when we came in here. One of the keys we wanted to outrebound them, we did by one, and we wanted to mix up the coverages on their big guy Mike (Osei-Bonsu). But to hit 14 threes, playing the way we played, I thought we played our style of play and different guys stepped up tonight to lead us."
NOTES
- Sherman nearly missed a double-double, as he posted 18 points and nine rebounds. That included a 9-of-10 performance at the free throw line.
- Harris added 12 points, all from three-point range, while Taylor chipped in 11.
- KSU shot 56% in the second half and 48.2% (27-of-56) for the game.
- This is the Owls' second sweep of the conference season, as they also won both games against Western Kentucky.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls come back to Kennesaw State to start a three-game homestand. First up will be a Saturday, 5 p.m. contest against Louisiana Tech in VyStar Arena. The game 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.
