The Owls lost to challenging competitor Indiana, finishing their non-conference play with a 9-5 record.
Kennesaw State men’s basketball couldn’t keep up with Indiana for the second straight year on Dec. 29, falling 100-87 at Assembly Hall.
With one final game left on its 2023 non-conference schedule, men’s basketball was faced with its tallest task of the year against Indiana. Not only does Indiana currently boast one of the best records in the Big 10 but it also has one of the best home-court advantages in the nation.
The Owls gave the Hoosiers as much as they could handle, but would ultimately fall short.
“Hard fought game tonight, Indiana’s a really talented group,” Head Coach Antoine Pettway said. “I still love the fight our guys gave now. We had great individual performances and I thought as a team we fought to the very end.”
Early it looked like Indiana would be able to control the place and force the Owls to play catchup as the Hoosiers made their first eight attempts from the field. After keeping the deficit around 10-15 points for most of the first half, the Owls would storm back to make the halftime score 50-46.
It would be the Owls who would come out hot in the second half. After trailing by two possessions for the first 10 minutes, the Owls were able to achieve a 68-64 advantage thanks to a fantastic three-point shooting night.
“With our style of play, we’re always giving up good shots for great shots,” Pettway said. “Our guys stay in the gym and they keep working and they’re going to continue to work. When shots are falling it makes our offense hard to guard.”
The Owls would finish the night with 17 made three-pointers, good for third-best in school history and just two short of the all-time record of 19.
Fatigue and foul trouble would set in for the Owls prompting a 21-3 run for the Hoosiers, giving them a lead they would never relinquish. Although the Owls offense picked back up late in the game, it would be too little too late, resulting in a 100-87 loss.
“I thought we did a great job getting nine wins in non-conference, wish we could have made it 10 tonight but I’m super proud of the group in that locker room,” Pettway said. “If there’s anything I can’t stress enough it’s that I’m super blessed and super lucky to coach that group in there.”
Simeon Cottle led the Owls in scoring 21 points but Terrell Burden wasn’t far behind with 20 and an impressive nine assists. Transfer Jusuan Holt continued to make noise off the bench, scoring 19 while dealing with foul trouble.
With the loss, the Owls finish non-conference play with a 9-5 record, equaling last season’s mark to tie for the best start in Division 1 program history. The 2024 ASUN campaign will be the Owls’ last as they prepare for departure to Conference USA next season.
