On a record-setting night for the Owls, the heroics were provided for the second-straight game by senior guard Terrell Burden as his free throws with 31 seconds left broke a tie-game to give Kennesaw State its school-record (Division I era) 15th win of the season, 65-63 at FGCU in ASUN men’s basketball action on Saturday night at Alico Arena.
KSU moved to 15-6 with the victory and stayed in a tie for first-place in the ASUN (7-1) with its fifth-straight victory, the longest streak for the Owls since a six-game win streak in the 2009-10 season. The Owls also snapped FGCU’s (14-7, 4-4 ASUN) school-record 13-game home win streak, which had been tied for the eighth-longest active streak coming into the contest.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls held a huge advantage in the paint, outscoring FGCU 34-18 for the night. That helped KSU overcome an uncharacteristically poor night from three-point range, where the Owls hit just 4-of-16 (25%). FGCU meanwhile used the three-ball to climb back into the game after trailing by 11, and the Eagles would finish 10-of-30 from behind the arc.
OWL OF THE GAME: While Burden provided the winning points, junior Brandon Stroud paced the Owls in scoring for the second straight game, and he finished 7-of-10 from the floor while adding four rebounds.
THE FIRST HALF: For the second-straight game the Owls started out on fire, jumping out to a 9-2 edge thanks to a Stroud dunk just over four minutes into the game. Three consecutive treys from the Eagles put the home team up by two at 13-11, and the game was tied at 18-18 on another three-ball from FGCU. The Owls then took over defensively, holding the Eagles scoreless for the next seven minutes. KSU reeled off 11 straight during that stretch, going up 29-18 on another Stroud dunk. A three-point play from Quincy Ademokoya would give KSU a 10-point halftime edge at 36-26.
THE SECOND HALF: An 11-2 run to start the half by the Eagles, which included three baskets from three-point land, cut the Owl lead to just one with under 16 minutes to play (38-37). The game was tight the rest of the way with seven lead changes and a pair of ties. FGCU took its largest lead of the game at 60-57 with 3:05 to play. Burden led the Owl rally as he drew fouls on back-to-back possessions on drives to the basket. He sank both free throws on the first, and then made the first of two to tie the game at 60-60 with 1:51 to play. He missed the second, but Stroud came up with a huge offensive rebound to not only possession but would then drain his only three-point attempt of the night for a 63-60 KSU lead. FGCU hit a free throw at the other end, and after a KSU turnover, draw another foul and sank two more free throws to again tie the game at 63-60 with 59 seconds left. The Owls would run a play for Burden again to the basket, and he was knocked down to the ground on his layup attempt. Burden drained both free throws for a 65-63 lead. FGCU then missed a shot on the other end but got one more chance after KSU missed the front end of a one-and-one with 10 seconds left but again the Owls forced a missed shot to come away with the road victory.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls are back in Kennesaw for a two-game homestand, starting with a big home doubleheader on Thursday, Jan. 26 with the KSU women’s squad. It’s a White Out for both games on Thursday, and all Owl fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. The first 1,000 fans to the men’s game, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. against Austin Peay, will receive a free KSU white T-shirt as well.