A productive 28-point performance by redshirt junior Tyler Hooker was not enough for the Kennesaw State men’s basketball team to win in a 90-70 loss to Jacksonville University on Wednesday, Jan. 9.
Hooker, who is averaging 19.1 points per game, continued to display his leadership in the Atlantic Sun Conference matchup and now accounts for around 30 percent of the team’s points total for the season.
Kosta Jankovic and Bobby Parker also made significant contributions, scoring 17 and 10 points respectively.
The Owls kept the game close early on as they trailed by seven points at the half, but only 15 points were scored outside of the top three contributors for KSU.
Jacksonville played well at the beginning of the game, passing the ball around evenly to set up shots during an 8-0 run. The Owls battled back into it following a 12-0 run, capped off by three points from debutant Danny Lewis to give the Owls a 19-18 lead.
Several turnovers in the first half by KSU proved costly when the Dolphins went on scoring runs. At some points in the game, the Owls would have the ball, but were confused on what play to run. That would lead to ill-advised, heavily contested shots that would be rebounded by the Dolphins.
Both teams were 50 percent from three-point range in the first half with the Dolphins outscoring KSU 24-8 in the paint. This advantage was evident before the game, as almost everyone on the Dolphins’ starting five had height in their favor. The Owls had few answers for the plethora of dunks and rebounds by Jacksonville throughout the night.
After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Jacksonville began to run away with the game, going on a 17-0 run to expand the lead to 66-42. KSU scored six points to cut the lead, but that would be as close as the Owls would get for the remainder of the game.
Hooker played at full strength throughout the game, scoring 17 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Owls, who shot just 35.3 percent from the floor in the second period compared to 54.4 percent by the Dolphins. His 28 points marked the sixth time this season that he scored 20 or more points and the eighth time in the last nine games he has scored 15 or more.
The Owls continue their homestand against Liberty next Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.
