The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team dramatically lost 86-84 to the North Florida University Ospreys on Thursday night at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
North Florida (8-13, 3-1 ASUN) guard Dallas Moore scored the game-winning shot with two seconds remaining, putting the Ospreys in first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Kennesaw State (7-13, 1-3 ASUN) guard Kendrick Ray led the Owls with 25 points, while forward Aubrey Williams recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
In the first half, both teams executed their respective game plans and were constantly neck-and-neck. The Owls gained an early lead after Ray scored 10 points. Minutes later, the Ospreys went on a 9-0 run to gain a 22-19 lead.
At halftime, however, the Owls headed to the locker rooms with a 42-39 lead.
KSU built a 10-point lead early in the second half, the team’s biggest lead of the game. With 9:09 minutes left, North Florida started its comeback and took the lead at 64-63, its first lead since the first half.
Pushing on, Ray drove to the basket, got fouled and sank both free throws to tie the game at 81 with 1:05 left on the clock. North Florida forward Chris Davenport hit a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to give the Ospreys a temporary lead.
KSU guard Nick Masterson hit a tying three-pointer, but Moore scored with only two seconds left, handing the Owls their 13th loss of the season.
The team moves on to face the University of Jacksonville on Saturday, Jan. 21.
