By: by Mark Toma
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat North Greenville, 89-79, in the Owls season opener on Friday evening at the KSU Convocation Center.
Sophomore Kurtis Woods and freshman Markeith Cummings scored 19 points each to lead an Owls squad that shot 52 percent from the field and won their second straight season opener. But, it was strong defense by the core returnees that shifted the tide in the second half.
“I was proud of how our guys played tonight,” said Owls head coach Tony Ingle. “I was especially pleased with our veteran guys, J-Mac [Jon-Michael Nickerson], Petey [Jonathan Whipple], Spencer [Dixon] and Kurtis. They really changed the momentum of the game with their strong defense.”
The Owls shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, but still trailed as North Greenville connected on 18-of-30 shots, including 8-of-11 by Paul Harrison, to build a 44-39 halftime advantage. Harrison would end up with a game-high 31 points and nine rebounds.
Woods sparked the Owls second half comeback with four points in the first 34 seconds of the half as he scored on a lay-up and then came up with a steal and followed with a two-handed slam to bring the Black and Gold to within a point. The defensive gem by Woods was one of nine second half steals for the Owls, who forced 20 North Greenville turnovers.
After a brief North Greenville run saw the Crusaders build a seven-point lead, the Owls were able to tie the game on a Nickerson basket with 15 minutes left to play. A little over a minute later, Kelvin McConnell’s only three-pointer of the game gave the Owls a 57-56 lead, their first lead since the 16:46 mark of the first half.
After a Kyler Vitko (7-for-13, 14 points) lay-up pushed the Crusaders ahead, Nickerson put the Owls up for good with a three-pointer. Three times the Crusaders would cut the lead down to two points, but the Owls pulled away late.
Nickerson scored 14 points for the Owls as Kennesaw State saw nine players appear in the scoring column. LaDaris Green had nine points and six rebounds while Matt Heramb added eight points and four rebounds.
Kennesaw State will be back in action tomorrow evening when they host North Georgia at 7:30 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
