this time over North Florida: http://www.mdjonline.com/92/10207483.txt

Quote:Kennesaw State thwarts N. Florida s upset hopes

Sunday, January 15, 2006 3:02 AM EST

By Greg Oshust
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer

KENNESAW - The Kennesaw State men's basketball team had a tougher-than-expected battle with its last-place Atlantic Sun Conference rival North Florida.

But the Owls took control of the game late in the second half and held on for a 78-76 victory over North Florida at the KSU Convocation Center on Saturday.

The Ospreys appeared to have momentum on their side as they led throughout the early part of the second half and led 53-47 with 14:12 remaining in the game.

Kennesaw State began to turn the game back in its favor after that by turning up the defensive pressure and hitting some timely 3-pointers.

"Those guys found a way to win," Kennesaw State coach Tony Ingle said. "We had some great defensive stands, and we hit some big shots. North Florida had a pretty good lead, and our guys said 'enough' and began to stand their ground. I'm proud of the way our guys kept fighting back."

North Florida coach Matt Kilcullen praised Kennesaw State's effort, especially on the offensive boards.

"It was a heck of a college basketball game," Kilcullen said. "The bottom line is that Kennesaw State got their offensive rebounds when they needed them down the stretch. Tony Ingle did a great job getting his team ready to play."

Golden Ingle led Kennesaw State (8-8, 6-1) with 19 points and was one of four Owls scorers in double-figures. Ronnell Wooten and Andre Morgan added 17 points each, and Brent Ragsdale chipped in 11.

Alain Laroche scored 22 points to lead North Florida (3-11, 0-7), and Chris Timberlake (14), Rashad Williams (12) and Riley Didion (11) also scored in double-figures for the Ospreys.

On paper, the game appeared to be a cakewalk for Kennesaw State, as the Owls entered the contest tied with Florida Atlantic for the conference lead. North Florida, meanwhile, was sitting at the bottom of the standings.

However, fatigue was a factor for Kennesaw State after the Owls battled to a 78-72 overtime win over East Tennessee State on Thursday.

"Coming into the game, we didn't have a lot of energy," Ingle said. "We expended a lot of energy in our overtime game on Thursday. And to come back and play on Saturday at 5:00 was tough. (Friday) we just watched film, we didn't even shoot the ball. We made a lot of substitutions in the first half. North Florida came in and they were very well prepared."

Kennesaw State also struggled with North Florida's superior size, with the undersized Owls going up against North Florida's frontcourt duo of 6-foot-8 center David Ashwell and 6-7 forward Williams.

Perhaps the biggest difference for North Florida was Laroche's return to the lineup. Laroche, the team's leading scorer, gave the Ospreys a big boost on offense as he returned to action after missing the last eight games with an ankle injury.

North Florida battled on even terms with Kennesaw State throughout the first half and held a 37-36 advantage at halftime.

"We were a little slow at the beginning," Wooten said. "We came off a big game, and we came out very slow."

The Ospreys maintained their narrow advantage early in the second half and seemed to be taking control of the game as they took a 53-47 lead with 14:12 remaining, the biggest lead for either team.

Golden Ingle cut North Florida's lead in half with a 3-pointer, while a couple of layups by Gaby Cruz helped KSU regain the lead, 54-53, with 11:35 left.

A 3-pointer by Laroche put North Florida back in front 56-54, but Wooten responded with a three of his own to give the Owls a 57-56 advantage with 8:48 left.

A layup by Ashwell helped North Florida regain the lead, 58-57, but a free throw by Morgan tied the game and a 3-pointer by Golden Ingle with 6:56 put KSU back in front 61-58, giving the Owls the lead for good.

goshust@mdjonline.com

I was in attendance.

The MDJ (decent newspaper, not that well circulated) got most of the story but favored the Owl's a bit too much. The game was tight the whole way through which made for an enjoyable time but too close for comfort from my perspective.

Way too close when we were up by 2 and a UNF player lobbed a quarters basketball court length shot that nailed the top of the rim. Everyone kind of left the game saying, wow... we almost lost.

Not much celebration as one would expect beating the last place team but more relief from the embarrasment that could have been.

Owl's picked up another home win tonight against Jacksonville with a more decisive margin of victory, 88-64.