After their best start in school history since joining the NCAA Division I rank, Kennesaw State improved to 11-6 while school was out for winter break.
The stretch included a 3-1 conference start and a battle with national powerhouse Indiana.
The Owls began the break by snapping a decade-long losing streak against the Mercer Bears on the road on Dec. 2. Chris Youngblood and Terrell Burden combining for 30 points was just enough to earn the Owls the 66-63 win. KSU would continue its road momentum with a 76-65 win over Charleston Southern, before being brought back to earth after an 88-54 loss at the hands of the San Diego State Aztecs.
KSU returned home to the Convocation Center on Dec. 17 and picked up a win against Division II opponent, Georgia College, in a game where 12 different Owls appeared in the scoring column. On Dec. 20, the Owls were able to complete the 2-game homestand with a 65-56 win against USC Upstate.
When asked about the recent success in games with single-digit results, Coach Abdur-Rahim said, “Two years ago we were 3-7 in games determined by single digits. You’ve got to go through years like that to get to years like this. That last 11:55 of the game, we played with the heart and passion that we’re used to, that our fans deserve.”
On Dec. 23, the Owls made the trip up to Bloomington, Indiana for what would likely be their toughest road test this season, against the Indiana Hoosiers. Despite being heavy underdogs, KSU went into the half tied at 27-27 and was able to keep the game within striking distance for much of the 2nd half. Ultimately, a poor shooting night got the best of the Owls, who fell 69-55 in Assembly Hall.
The Owls would begin conference play on New Year’s Eve at home with an 82-66 win against Central Arkansas, behind a 21-point performance from Senior Forward Demond Robinson.
“You go seven days without playing a game, we needed to get a little bit of our timing back, getting bumped a little, that seemed to affect our offense at the start. Defensively though we did what we needed to in the first half to hold them to just 31 points”, said Coach Abdur-Rahim when asked about returning to play after roughly a week without a game.
Two days later, the Owls improved to 2-0 in ASUN play with a critical 79-75 win against Eastern Kentucky led by 15-point showings by both guards Youngblood and Burden.
The Owls finished the break with a two-game road trip, starting with a heartbreaking 89-86 loss at the buzzer against North Florida. “Disappointing loss down here tonight at North Florida. That was a special performance by Jose Placer, but we didn’t do a good enough job in areas we needed to be sharp in to come out of here with a win”, said Coach Abdur-Rahim after the game.
KSU bounced back two days later with a 76-67 win against Queens University to close out the break and continue their historic season.
The Owls will look to keep improving throughout the month of January and keep climbing the ASUN standings.
