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PORTLAND, Ore. — In the NCAA Tournament for the second time as a 14 seed, Kennesaw State again played well above its seed, leading No. 3 seed Gonzaga for the majority of the first half and making it a two-possession game in the final minutes before falling 73-64 in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday night at the Moda Center. Despite the loss, it was still a historic season for the Owls, who finish the season at 21-14 overall, the second-most wins in school history, to go along with their first-ever Conference USA Championship title.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU came into the game averaging almost ten three-pointers per game, but the Zags defense would not allow an open look all night long, holding the Owls to just 3-of-17 (17.6%) from three-point range.
OWL OF THE GAME: Freshman forward
Amir Taylor continued his double-figure scoring streak, posting 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds while helping guard Gonzaga star foward Ike Graham.
THE FIRST HALF: KSU got out to a half-high 14-7 lead nine minutes in with the combination of an aggressive defensive effort and a spark off the bench from
Kaden Rickard. The freshman guard arrived on the scene with the game tied 7-7 and quickly applied a personal 7-0 run on a pair of free throws, a shot-clock-beating trey and a floater in the key.
Nine minutes in, the Owl defense had held Gonzaga to 3-of-14 from the field and 0-of-4 from three. A 9-2 advantage on the defensive glass also kept KSU in front. The next seven minutes saw the Owls and Zags trade buckets, with a Rickard triple putting KSU up 25-21 with 3:21 before the break. Gonzaga ended the half on a 10-0 run to take a 33-27 lead into the locker room.
When the dust settled on the half, the Owls had led for 14 minutes while shooting 10-of-31 from the field to the Zags' 12-of-31. Rickard and
RJ Johnson led KSU at the break with 10 and eight points, respectively.
THE SECOND HALF: Gonzaga built up a 42-31 lead early in the second half before KSU climbed back on an 11-1 run over a two-minute stretch. The Owls' defense sparked the run as they forced eight straight missed shots in a four-minute Zag scoring drought. Driving scores from Rickard and
Amir Taylor put KSU within four, while a
Frankquon Sherman putback bucket cut the deficit to 43-42 with 11:35 to play.
Gonzaga regained momentum with a 17-4 run, eventually taking a game-high 14-point lead at 60-46 with 6:35 remaining.
The Owls had one more comeback in them and battled back to a five-point deficit with 1:45 to go. Johnson and Taylor took turns driving and scoring for KSU while Sherman drained a 3-pointer to bring KSU within single digits, 65-56.
A flagrant foul assessed to Ike put Sherman to the line for a pair of successful free throw attempts. Two more from the charity stripe via Simpson and
Braedan Lue, pulled the Owls within five at 67-62.
On the ensuing defensive possession, KSU appeared to come away with a crucial defensive rebound before the ball was pried away and put back up for a game-tilting score and a 69-62 Gonzaga lead. Sherman drained a final set of free throws, but the Zags had enough to hang on late for the 73-64 defeat of the Owls.
NOTES
- Thursday marked Taylor's seventh straight game in double-figures. He was joined by
RJ Johnson with 15 points, Rickard with 14.
- Sherman posted his ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
- KSU shot 36% from the field while allowing 40% from Gonzaga. Neither team found its stroke from beyond the arc, with both a combined 6-of-35.
- Gonzaga outrebounded the Owls 45-34, including 16-11 on the offensive glass.
The Champions Fund
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