The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team traveled to Baltimore County, Maryland to take on the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers at RAC Arena on Saturday, November 19th, losing by a final score of 93-85.
The contest was a hard fought match-up by both teams, with several ties and lead changes throughout the game.
The Owls’ offense began the game with a strong effort and was able to maintain a lead for the majority of the first half. Just before the midway point, Kennesaw built its largest lead of the game, going up by seven.
In the second half, Kennesaw State’s offense continued to consistently make plays and hit shots, led by senior guard Kendrick Ray, who finished the game with 31 points.
The Owls’ offense was also sparked by redshirt senior guard Aubrey Williams and junior guard Nick Masterson who each contributed 14 points, and sophomore guard Kyle Clarke who added 10 points to Kennesaw’s offensive effort. This was the second game in a row that the Owls’ have had four separate players put up double-digit points.
Throughout the game, Kennesaw did a good job of controlling the paint grabbing 43 rebounds, compared to UMBC, who finished with 33.This was the fourth time Kennesaw out-rebounded its opponent as they have done so in every game this season.
As the game remained close, the difference seemed to be steals, as Kennesaw turned the ball over at some crucial points in the game. UMBC finished with 10 steals while the Owls were only able to generate 3 the whole game.
The ultimate difference in the game came with 5:24 left to play, when UMBC’s offense scored eight unanswered points which put them up by nine. This turned out to be what they needed to win the game, as Kennesaw was never able to recover.
