#0 Ramone Seals soars for a layup in KSU’s win on Feb. 21st over Louisiana Tech at VyStar Arena. Photo by: Jackson Lounoeubonh.
Men’s basketball swept last week’s games, knocking off Missouri State on the road and toppling Louisiana Tech at home to get back to .500 in conference play.
Desperately needing a win following a three-game losing streak, the Owls returned to form with the help of some added depth in Feb. 18’s 91-87 win over Missouri State.
Sophomore guard Ramone Seals returned to the floor for the first time since Jan. 7, giving Kennesaw State 10 healthy scholarship players to use for the first time in several weeks.
RJ Johnson lit up the box score as he has become accustomed to doing since the middle of January, scoring 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting while also adding four assists and two steals in 29 minutes.
Frankquon Sherman flirted with a double-double, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Amir Taylor (11) and Jaden Harris (12) finished in double figures as well and the Owls shot an outstanding 14-of-26 from beyond the three-point line and 48.2% from the field.
The Bears’ Keith Palek III and Michael Osei-Bonsu each finished with 20 points, combining to shoot 12-of-25 from the field. Trey Williams Jr. followed not far behind with 19 points.
Feb. 21’s win over Louisiana Tech at VyStar Arena came down to the final possession.
Leading 58-55 with eighth seconds remaining on the clock, Harris received the inbounds pass and was swarmed by Bulldogs defenders who forced a jump ball, taking back possession for the visitors.
As the clock neared expiration, La Tech guard AJ Bates heaved a deep three-point attempt to send the game to overtime. His shot fell off the mark, and KSU escaped with the victory.
“It was great to see our defense make stands the whole game,” Owls coach Antoine Pettway said. “That’s what I’m most proud of. The game favored their style of play, but our guys never looked back. They kept defending, they kept guarding and got enough stops.”
The win over La Tech marks Pettway’s 50th as the head coach at KSU, something just three other coaches have accomplished with the program, and just one other at the NCAA Division I level.
“I really had no clue [I got to 50 wins],” Pettway said. “I’m really just enjoying the moment. Getting to enjoy being at a place I love, getting to coach guys I love.”
Just a week ago, the Owls were staring down the possibility of falling out of the Conference USA top 10 and missing the conference tournament entirely. Now, with back-to-back wins and a few favorable results around the league, KSU sits in fourth place in the standings.
This week, the Owls will close out their home schedule when they host Liberty on Thursday and Delaware on Saturday at VyStar Arena.
