Follow KSU Men's Basketball - X | Instagram
EL PASO, Texas – Kennesaw State could not overcome a season-low performance from three-point land, while UTEP broke a tie game with a 15-2 run to snap the Owls' four-game win streak, handing KSU a 78-71 setback on Thursday night from the Don Haskins Center in Conference USA men's basketball action. A silver lining for the Owls though, the top five teams in the league all lost on Thursday night, which leaves KSU still in a position for a potential three seed in next week's CUSA Tournament. Currently they stand in a tie for fourth at 10-9 (18-12 overall), while the Miners stayed alive for a tournament berth (14-15 overall, 7-12 CUSA).
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls came in averaging almost 10 made three-pointers a game, but were just 0-of-11 from the floor in the first half, and 3-23 overall for the game (13%). UTEP meanwhile shot above its season average, connecting on 8-of-21 for 38.1%.
THE FIRST HALF: The Owls never had their shot flowing in the first half, leading to early leads of 9-2 and 17-12 for UTEP. An 8-0 run though, capped by a three-point play from
RJ Johnson, put the Owls ahead 20-17, and it was back-and-forth for the next three minutes. The Owls could not buy a basket over the final seven minutes though, missing its last 10 shots, and UTEP took advantage to open up a 10-point lead at the break, 35-25, capped by a three-pointer at the buzzer.
THE SECOND HALF: UTEP opened the second with a free throw to go up 11.
Braedan Lue then drained the Owls' first three-pointer of the game, and that would spark a 19-8 run over the next six minutes. Four straight free throws from Amie Taylor tied the score at 44-44. The Miners responded with a 9-0 spurt of its own, and the Owls came no closer than six the rest of the way.
NOTES
- This was the only meeting between the two teams in the regular season.
- Lue led the Owls with 15 points, while
Frankquon Sherman finished with a double-double (10 points, career-high tying 16 rebounds).
- Taylor also finished with ten points, while
Trey Simpson grabbed 10 rebounds.
- KSU finished the game shooting 33.8% (22-of-65), while the Miners were 24-of-57 for 42%.
- The Owls did hold a 51-39 edge on the boards and a 19-4 advantage on second chance points.
- UTEP meanwhile finished with an 18-8 advantage on points off turnovers after coming up with nine steals.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls finish the regular season on Saturday with a 4 p.m. (ET) contest at New Mexico State in Las Cruces.
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.
