The Kennesaw State University men’s basketball team lost 91-74 to Iowa University in its season opener on Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Junior guard Nick Masterson led the Owls with 29 points and seven three-pointers, which tied a school record. Redshirt senior forward Aubrey Williams came down with eight rebounds, and sophomore guard Kyle Clark added six assists.
Iowa (1-0) got off to a quick start, the Hawkeyes led 9-0 and increased their lead in the first half.
Redshirt senior guard Kendrick Ray picked up right where he left off last year as scored the Owls’ first basket in the 2016-17 season.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, the Hawkeyes scored eight consecutive points and led by 21, their biggest lead of the night.
KSU (0-1) returned to the court stronger after halftime and got within eight points of Iowa. The Owls outscored the Hawkeyes 49-48 in the second half, but the team couldn’t make up for the poor shooting in the beginning of the game. Despite the loss, Kennesaw out-rebounded Iowa 41-39, including 17 offensive rebounds.
The Owls will be back in action at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 16 when the team travels to Daytona Beach, Florida, to take on Bethune-Cookman University.
