Following an opening game win over Jacksonville State, men’s basketball was unable to continue it’s momentum on the road last week, falling to Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky.
In the first leg of the road trip, the Owls were unable to dig themselves out of a second half hole in Murfreesboro against MTSU.
Six time Conference USA Freshman of the Week Adrian Wooley stayed hot, scoring 24 points on 7-14 shooting to lead all Owls. Guard Simeon Cottle and forward Andre Weir each finished with 14 points as co-stars.
KSU took a 4-3 lead in the opening minutes, but would never lead again. Thanks to a 27 point performance from Blue Raiders’ senior guard Jestin Porter, MTSU built a lead as large as 58-45 in the second half, and fended off a late KSU rally.
Despite drawing back within 82-79 in the final minute of play, the Owls ultimately fell 83-79.
Owls freshman Braeden Lue continued his strong early season with 10 points and four rebounds, while fellow freshman Jamil Miller was kept at bay offensively with just five points.
Against WKU, the Owls fell into a deficit that proved to be insurmountable early in the first half.
At the first TV timeout, the Owls trailed just 9-7 and had started 3-6 from the field. The Hilltoppers proceeded to go on a 24-3 run to jump out to a 33-12 advantage at the 6:10 mark in the first half.
KSU narrowed the gap slightly in the final minutes of the first half, taking a 40-25 deficit into the halftime locker room, but finished the period shooting an ugly 1-19 from three.
The Owls fought back within single digits a few times in the second half, even getting as close as 48-41 after a Ricardo Wright three-pointer at the 13:06 mark. However, they were never able to draw any closer.
The Hilltoppers finished the game on a 15-8 run and cruised to an 85-69 victory.
Wooley posted the first double-double of his career, finishing with a team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. Cottle was the only other Owl in double figures with 15 points while Lue hauled in 10 rebounds.
WKU had four players finish in double figures with Tyrone Marshall Jr. leading the way with 20 points. Enoch Kalambay provided a boost off the bench for the Hilltoppers, ending the day with 19 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes.
The Owls return home this week to host a struggling Sam Houston State sitting at 1-3 in conference play on Thursday, and then a Louisiana Tech team boasting a 13-4 record on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
