After becoming regular season champions for the first time in the school’s NCAA Division I era, Kennesaw State’s journey in the ASUN Tournament continues following their victories against Queens University (67-66) and Lipscomb (80-71).
Fresh off a first-round win the night before versus Florida Gulf Coast at the Convocation Center, Queens looked to pull their second upset of the year against the Owls.
KSU jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead to start the game, but Queens would roar back and take a 3-point lead into the half following a Demond Robinson buzzer beater to cut the lead to 29-26.
Both sides traded leads throughout the second half, but the Owls would build a 66-61 advantage with under a minute to play. Despite missing 9 of their final 10 free throws and a late offensive surge by the Royals, the Owls would hold on to a 67-66 victory.
Robinson was the unlikely leading scorer, putting up 24 points on an efficient 9 of 11 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds.
“I realized that when I woke up,” Robinson said when asked about what point he knew he was going to have to carry the offensive load. “I was just focused, was ready all day, my mind was on this game.”
After a much-needed day of rest, the Owls returned to action against the Lipscomb University Bisons with an ASUN championship berth on the line on Thursday, March 2.
In the semifinals, the Convocation Center witnessed a season-high 3,137 fans as the Owls got off to yet another hot start, opening a 19-6 lead.
Although the lead would swell to as large as 16 during the first half, Lipscomb was able to bring the deficit down to 10 at halftime thanks to a three pointer at the buzzer from Emory University transfer Matthew Schner, making it 38-28 at the break.
The Bisons refused to go away in the second half, drawing within a single possession multiple times down the stretch but never taking the lead.
Despite a poor shooting night, Chris Youngblood nailed a three point prayer with the shot clock nearing zero at just a minute to play. This pushed the Owls’ lead to 77-71, which ultimately put the game out of reach. A few insurance free throws would make the final score 80-71 to send the Owls to their first-ever ASUN Championship.
“We’ve lost those close games before, we’ve blown a lead before,” Head Coach Amir-Abdur-Rahim said. “It shows you where we are as a program, it shows you how much growth these guys have made over the last two or three years.”
ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Stroud bounced back after a rough outing against Queens, logging 17 points and 9 rebounds.
The Owls will look to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time and bring home the ASUN Championship crown Sunday, March 5, at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center against the Liberty Flames.
