KENNESAW, Ga. – A 19-0 run by Kennesaw State early in the second half flipped a one-point game into a 20-point contest as the home-standing Owls parlayed the five-minute surge into a 90-80 win over visiting Missouri State here Wednesday in Conference USA play.
The Owls made 8 of 10 field goals during the critical run before the Bears broke an 0-for-10 stretch of their own on a layup by Keith Palek II at the 12:03 mark to cut into a 63-43 deficit.
Kennesaw’s lead would swell to 21 at the 9:26 mark on a three-point play by Simeon Cottle, but the visitors later went to a zone defense before embarking on a 17-2 scoring run of their own and closed their deficit to 72-66 on a dunk by Cameron Boone with 4:30 remaining.
The Bears (9-6, 3-1 CUSA) would make it a 75-69 game on a 3-pointer by Antwan Burnett – who made four triples on the night – but the Owls got 14 free throw attempts down the stretch and pulled away in the closing minutes.
Michael Osei-Bonsu racked up his third double-double of the year for MoState, scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Palek was equal to the task with 17 points and 10 boards. The Bears also got 14 points from Kobi Williams and a dozen from Burnett off the bench.
The Bears out-rebounded the Owls by a 37-36 margin, compiling 19 offensive rebounds to account for 16 second-chance points. Likewise, MSU’s 28 bench points was its second-highest total of the season.
Cottle led Kennesaw (9-6, 1-3 CUSA) with 25 points, including at 15-of-16 at the foul line and a game-high 11 assists. The Owls also got 16 points from Trey Simpson.
The Bears finished 27-of-65 (.415) overall, 8-for-23 (.348) from distance and 18-of-31 (.581) at the stripe with 15 assists, including a team-high 5 from Palke.
Kennesaw finished 27-for-52 (.519) from the field, 11-of-27 (.407) from long range and 25-for-32 (.781) at the line with 19 assists, 18 turnovers and 10 blocks.
In the first half, Kennesaw State used a 10-0 run over a two-plus minute stretch to pull ahead and used that momentum to take a 42-37 lead at the intermission.
After Tyrique Brook’s fast-break layup tied the game, 20-20, at the 9:42 mark, the Owls used four different players to reel off 10 unanswered points to lead 30-20 and force a Bears timeout with 7:40 left in the stanza.
KSU would lead by 10 twice more before the half, including a 35-25 lead at the four-minute mark. But the visitors used a 12-7 surge during the last segment to climb back into it with Kobi Williams scoring a three and a layup on the run.
The Bears shot 38.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, but held a 20-17 rebounding edge and forced 8 turnovers. Kennesaw made 7 threes, including three from Trey Simpson who tallied 9 points early.
Missouri State will return to Great Southern Banks Arena on Saturday, Jan. 10 for a showdown against FIU at 4 p.m., as part of a Lady Bears-Bears doubleheader.
