The Kennesaw State University men’s basketball team earned a 60-58 exhibition win over Georgia Southwestern State University on Saturday, Nov. 5, in the Convocation Center.
The Owls are looking for improvements after an upsetting 2015-2016 season when they went just 11-20 on the year.
The Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes did not go quietly, going into the second half with a 26-24 lead. The Owls had to rally from as low as an eight-point deficit to get the win.
KSU got some valuable minutes from all players in the first half but ran a stricter rotation in the second half in order to get the win.
“That led to a little better intensity on the defensive end and better execution on the offensive end,” head coach Al Skinner said. “The good thing is we gave some guys a chance to play in the first half.”
The defense came alive for the Owls, who out-rebounded Southwestern 44-33. Sixteen of those rebounds were on the offensive end.
Red-shirt senior forward Aubrey Williams, the team captain, posted a double-double for the Owls. He impressed on both the offensive and defensive ends, scoring 12 points and tallying 11 rebounds.
Last season, Williams finished third on the team in scoring, averaging more than eight points per game and leading the Owls in field goal percentage with .538 from the floor. He is looking to increase those numbers to fuel the Owls this season.
Red-shirt senior Kendrick Ray scored 11 of his points in the second half, and freshman guard Tyler Hooker had eight second-half points to help lead the KSU to victory.
In the 2015-2016 season, Ray averaged more than 18 points per game. He was named ASUN Newcomer of the Year and was named to the ASUN second team all-conference. The 576 points he scored last year set a single-season record for KSU. Ray also led the team in assists (86) and steals (44) last year.
Despite the win, coach Skinner had areas in mind that need improvement for the season.
“We also shot about 50 percent from the free-throw line, so there were a lot of points we left on the board,” Skinner said. “For us to score 60 points with those deficiencies tonight clearly shows the potential of our offense, but our defense has to be a little more consistent. I think we’ll get there, though.”
Ahead of the first game of the season, the Owls plan to improve their three-point shooting and will look to get better from the free throw line before they head to Iowa University to take on the Hawkeyes on Friday, Nov. 11.
