KSU lost its third straight game to Florida International on Sunday during its home tournament. The game panned out similarly to the previous night’s game, as the Owls lost by eight in a gritty effort.
KSU again came out with increased energy and kept pace with FIU throughout the first half. The Owls shot 40 percent from the field including five 3-pointers and came down with nine offensive rebounds.
The Panthers, however, forced KSU to cough up the ball seven times in the first half and came up with 10 points off of turnovers. KSU’s defense began to ease up as the half drew closer, allowing FIU to get to the line 12 times in the first half while recording no steals and only forcing three turnovers. The Panthers would outscore KSU in the paint 16-11 in the first half. “We got to get better off of direct line drives,” Head Coach Lewis Preston said. “Their physicality was the difference in this game.”
On offense, 3-pointers kept KSU alive along with the big center from the Ivory Coast, Willy Kouassi, as he recorded nine points, five rebounds and three blocks. Kouassi’s Ivory Coast teammate Bernard Morena also had a solid game, scoring nine points with two 3-pointers, eight rebounds and two blocks. Both teams headed into the locker room tied at 32.
Coming out of the intermission, the close competition continued with five lead changes in the second half. The difference was FIU’s points in the paint. The Panthers had 22 points inside compared to KSU’s eight in the second half. The Owls offense seemed to be lost at times with a lot of standing around.
KSU attempted 12 shots from behind the arc and only made it to the free throw line three times in the entire second half. Point guard Delbert Love was about the only thing the Owls had going as he came off the bench and dropped 13 points in the second half while sinking three 3-pointers. Love would finish with 24 points and two assists. “Delbert’s been great,” Preston said on Love’s performance during the tournament. “We need somebody else to step up besides Delbert.”
The Panthers were able to extend their lead to 11 with 5:58 to go in the game. KSU tried to slowly claw their way back by cutting FIU’s lead to only four with 1:25 remaining after a series of Love 3-pointers and a pair of Orlando Coleman layups. However, on the Panthers next possession, point guard Raymond Taylor hit a huge 3-pointer to extend FIU’s lead to seven with only 39 seconds left. “The 3-pointer by Taylor with three seconds left on the shot clock, that’s just one of those dagger shots,” coach Preston said.
The Owls would not score again and the game would finish 66-58, FIU the victors.
“I thought we had a great fight there for about 33 minutes and then we had a seven minute stretch in the second half where they got some distance,” Preston explained. “They (FIU) were just more physical than us. The story is told in 24 free throws to the nine that we attempted.”
Preston went on to add that KSU needs to become a more physical group heading into the rest of the season.
