The Owls failed to build momentum with the conference tournament on the horizon.
Kennesaw State concluded its regular season with an ugly 91-82 loss at the hands of the Queens University Royals on Friday, Mar. 1 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Despite a near 20-point double-double from Owls’ Forward Jamel King, defensive woes continued to be too much to overcome for men’s basketball. Queens Guard AJ Mckee torched the Owls defense for 25 points en route to a convincing victory.
The score remained close throughout the first 10 minutes of play. KSU got a boost from senior Forward Demond Robinson, who hit two three-pointers early. With 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Owls trailed narrowly 18-16.
Queens took firm control over the next few minutes with a 10-2 run. The Royals did not lead by less than double-digits for the rest of the first half after going up 36-26.
Mckee finished the first half leading all scorers with 18 points to give Queens a 52-39 lead at the break. 52 points is the most KSU has allowed in a half all season.
Queens started the second half hot, extending their lead to as large as 61-43 with 17:08 left to play; however, thanks to Robinson and Guard Simeon Cottle, the Owls successfully cut the deficit to single digits at 63-54.
KSU’s brief life was extinguished by a 12-3 Royals run. After the under-12-minute media timeout, Queens gained its largest advantage in the game at 83-62.
The Royals remained in cruise control for the final eight minutes of the game. With most starters for both sides on the bench in the closing moments, KSU rallied to cut the score to a single-digit deficit of 91-82. Senior Armani Harriswas denied at the rim on the final possession to finalize the score.
Queens finished the night with five scorers in double figures. McKee led the way with 25 points, while fellow starters Deyton Albury and BJ Mclaurincombined for 24. Chris Ashby had a huge night off the bench with 20 pointswhile hitting six three-pointers.
For the Owls, King had his second-best scoring night of the season with 21 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds off the bench. Robinson and Cottle were the only other Owls in double-figures with 13 points each.
KSU finished the regular season with a record of 6-10 in conference play and 15-15 overall.
The Owls are seeded ninth in the upcoming ASUN conference tournament, meaning they will not receive a first-round farewell. KSU will take on the Jacksonville University Dolphins in its opening-round matchup.
The Owls were victorious in both of the schools’ two meetings this year and have won four of the last five contests.
