University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
5-4,0-0Big South
Kennesaw State
6-3,0-0ASUN
Men’s basketball suffers overtime defeat to Kennesaw State
12.05.2023 | Men's Basketball
KENNESAW, Ga. – Drew Pember and Josh Banks combined for 49 points, but a 3-pointer from the Owls with less than a second remaining lifted Kennesaw State to a 79-76 overtime victory against the UNC Asheville men's basketball team Tuesday evening.
IN THE BOX
Pember led both teams with 27 points, recording his second double-double of the season with 14 boards, and added a game-high four blocks. Banks recorded 22 points, leading the team at halftime with 11 points, and recorded seven boards.
Davion Cunningham and Nick McMullen finished with eight points apiece, and Caleb Burgess recorded 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists.
ON THE COURT
Banks opened Asheville's scoring with six of the Bulldogs' eight points through the first media break. With 11:44 remaining in the half, Banks sank a pair of free throws to help Asheville to its largest lead of the night (17-9).
The Owls responded, going on a 14-6 run, tying the game at 23 with 6:22 remaining. A pair of made free throws from Pember and a triple from Banks would extend Asheville's lead back out, but a triple from the Owls with 2:19 remaining would give Kennesaw its first lead of the night (31-29). The Owls would enter halftime leading 36-30.
Kennesaw State made quick work out of the half to extend its lead out to double figures as they held an 11-point lead on two separate occasions, but the Bulldogs did not falter, as they began to cut into the Owls' lead, starting with back-to-back shots from Banks and Trent Stephney (49-42). A jumper from Nick McMullen cut Kennesaw's lead down to five before the Owls extended it back out to eight. Banks made quick work with two free throws and a 3-pointer to bring the score within three, and a dunk from Pember helped the Bulldogs trail by one (59-58).
A made free throw would help the Owls retake a 2-point lead before Pember tied it up at 60. With 3:32 remaining, the Owls retook a 2-point lead, and neither team would score for the next 2:20 until a 3-pointer by Pember would give Asheville a one-point advantage. With one minute remaining, a foul sent Kennesaw's Terrell Burden to the line, where he made one of his two free throws to tie the game at 65 and ultimately sent the game into overtime.
The Bulldogs scored the first bucket in overtime with a layup from McMullen, but the five minutes of action would go on to feature four ties, with the Owls breaking the final tie of the night with the game-winning basket, with less than a second on the clock.
GAME NOTES
- Kennesaw outshot Asheville .413 to .397 from the field and .323 to .300 from the 3-point arc, but Asheville outshot Kennesaw at the free throw line .667 to .389.
- The Bulldogs recorded 52 rebounds compared to Kennesaw's 39.
- Kennesaw took advantage of 20 Asheville turnovers, scoring 22 points off turnovers while only committing 10 turnovers.
- Tuesday was the first of two games between the two programs this year, as Kennesaw will travel to Asheville to face the Bulldogs on Dec. 23.
- With Tuesday night's loss, Asheville's record falls to 5-4, and the Owls advance to 6-3.
UP NEXT
Tuesday night kicked off the first of three road games for the Bulldogs, as Asheville travels to face in-state nonconference rival Western Carolina University in Cullowhee on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m.
