A battle of offenses and fouls left the Owls crying and a 4-2 conference record.
Kennesaw State men’s basketball team played the North Alabama Lions on Jan. 24 at the Convocation Center, looking to rise above Eastern Kentucky on the ASUN standings.
About 20 minutes before the game, KSU announced a campus-wide lockdown due to an armed intruder. This did not cause any delays to the game but rather created a lack of fans compared to other games this season.
“We have cops surrounding the building and no one is allowed to leave or enter,” Director of Athletics Milton Overton said.
“I wasn’t aware,” KSU Head Coach Antoine Pettway said. “We were locked-in in the locker room, getting ready to play.”
Before touching the court against the Lions, the Owls were 13-6 (4-1) making them tied for second in the ASUN.
Jusaun Holt won the tip-off which led to him shooting a three, giving the Owls a strong start to the game. Following a turnover made by the Lions, the game started to get scrappy with Quincy Ademokoya falling on the floor with Guard Will Soucie grasping for the ball.
Communication seemed off for the Owls as they committed two fouls and missed four shots within the first five minutes of play. After a media timeout, the Owls were on fire with a free throw from Simeon Cottle, a jumper from Demond Robinson and rebounds from Terrell Burden alongside Cottle.
Quickly, the Lions’ field goal percentage dropped to 36% and they were shooting 43% from the three, giving the Owls a 28-17 lead. With seven minutes left in the half, Soucie made two free throws, shortening the Owls lead to four points.
Later in the half, senior KJ Johnson turned the ball over to Burden who alley-ooped to Cottle for a layup making the score 34-26. The Owls left the first half with a one-point lead 43-42 over the Lions.
Coming out of halftime, Cottle was wearing a back brace and limping while Burden was placed on an exercise bike. The team has not yet experienced a pushback injury but the high physicality of these games is starting to show on these players.
“We got guys in there hurting, but I know we’re gonna be fine,” Pettway said.
Starting the second half, the Lions immediately took the lead with a driving layup from Johnson. The game was tied 50-50 by the 16-minute mark, leaving Owls fans on the edge of their seats.
Burden pulled through and helped to create a 57-50 lead before Pettway called a timeout. On the night, Burden scored 37 points and shot 76% from the free-throw line. Burden broke a school record by scoring 37 points in a game, yet it did not matter in the end.
“The only record I care about is the win-loss record,” Pettway said. “He [Burden] is in there crying like he had seven. He would trade a third of those points for a win tonight.”
By the eighth-minute mark, the Lions had taken the lead again making it a singular possession game 63-66. This continued to the last few minutes with the Lions leading 66-72 after Guard Josiah Fulcher made two free throws.
Fans were cheering for the Owls as they were down by five points with under two minutes left. In a fast play by the Owls, Damian Forrest fouled out leaving the Lions confused and ahead by only four points. Only a minute after Forrest fouled out, Soucie followed right behind him.
A game centered around fouls allowed free throws to be the shining point for each team. The Owls made 28-39 while the Lions made 28-35, both teams combining for 52 fouls.
The last 30 seconds contained three free throws and a three-pointer from Burden, but still left the Lions in the lead 90-84.
“My hats off to Coach Pettway and his staff, not only is he a lead recruiter but he is a lead coach,” North Alabama Head Coach Tony Pujol said. “We’re gonna enjoy the heck out of this tonight and when we get down to Florida we’re going to get ready for Queens.”
The Owls will play at home against Bellarmine on Feb. 1 in hopes of adding a win to their record and rising back up in the ASUN rankings.
