The Kennesaw State men's basketball team came home for the second weekend of ASUN Conference play. After suffering a tough three-point defeat to the defending champions FGCU Eagles, the Owls bounced back by routing the Stetson Hatters 84-65 on Saturday, January 14.
Against FGCU, three KSU players eclipsed the 20-point mark for the first time this season. Nick Masterson led the team with 21 points going 7-9 from the floor and 5-6 from behind the arc. From Tennessee State through the FGCU game, Masterson connected on 16-19 three-point attempts.
The Gulf Coast game was also Student Appreciation Night leading to the largest crowd of the season at 1,851 people. Between the crowd and the band being in attendance, there was energy in the KSU Convocation Center from the opening tip.
After the tough loss against Florida Gulf Coast, the Owls needed to bounce back and came out ready to play against the Hatters. The team jumped on Stetson in the first half building a 44-18 lead in the first 18 minutes of the game and then stretching that lead to 31 early in the second half.
Stetson tried to mount a comeback and cut the lead down to 16 with 10:29 remaining, but freshman James Scott scored six straight points to push the lead back to 24 ending any thoughts of a comeback by the Hatters.
Zach Cameron provided energy off the bench against the Hatters and came up with a couple of new career highs with 10 rebounds and seven points in 18 minutes of action.
The win against Stetson pushed the Owls to 1-2 in ASUN play as they are about to hit the road to take on North Florida on Thursday, January 19 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Last season, Kennesaw State got a split against North Florida after a 101-91 victory in the KSU Convocation Center.
Credits:
Kyle Hess