In the Atlantic Sun opener for both teams, Jon-Michael Nickerson hit a five-foot jumper to put the Owls up 66-64 with just 0.7 seconds left in the game as the Owls nipped USC-Upstate at the Convocation Center on Monday night.
With the win, KSU improved to 5-2 on the season and, most importantly, 1-0 in the A-Sun. It is the best start ever for the Owls in Division I play.
After starting out 1-5 last year, the current three-game winning streak is a welcome change for the black-and-gold.
“Any time you can get on a win streak at the Division I level, it’s always a special thing,” explained Nickerson. “Every win is so tough and just so competitive that it wears you out. But to get the win the soreness and all the hurt and pain feel so much better.”
In fact, the three-game winning streak against Colgate, Maryland-Eastern Shore, and USC-Upstate was comprised of opponents the Owls had lost to last season, making the wins even sweeter.
“The scriptures say you’re not supposed to believe in revenge, but it doesn’t say we’re not supposed to pay our debts,” said head coach Tony Ingle. “So we do believe in paying our debts and the guys are mindful of that. We remind them.”
The Owls begin the season 1-0 in the Atlantic Sun after losing their first two in 2007-08.
“It’s very important,” declared an exuberant coach Tony Ingle. “We needed that … That was a huge win for us. It put is at 1-0 in the conference – that’s huge.”
The Owls fell behind 8-0 in the first four minutes of the game before getting on the board with a free throw by Nickerson. The lead grew to as much as 10 with 13:57 left in the half at 14-4. From there, the Owls outscored the Spartans 32-18 during the rest of the half, including eight straight points by Kelvin McConnell which tied the game at 30-30. KSU took its first lead of the game with 1:03 remaining in the half on two free throws by Zadrian Gibson to make the score 34-32. Gibson scored again on the next trip down the floor on a put-back and KSU went into the half up 36-32.
After seeing the Spartans retake the lead almost immediately in the second half, the Owls traded baskets with the visitors the rest of the way.
Spencer Dixon tied the game at 64 with 1:43 remaining on a runner and set the stage for Nickerson’s heroics.
After Spartan center Nick Schneiders missed a lay-in with 35 seconds left, the Owls rebounded and set up a final play.
After running the clock down to just under 10 seconds, KSU cleared out and gave the ball to Nickerson on the left wing. The junior forward made a couple of head fakes, drove, and then coolly knocked down the game-winning jumper.
“We’ve put the ball in his hands and he’s come up with big baskets before,” said Ingle. “The guy was guarding him really (well) but we had to go to him. He’s the go-to guy, he wants the ball in those situations and we felt like there was a chance he could beat his guy one-on-one.”
Nickerson was elated that he hit the shot but the celebration that ensued left him a tad gimpy.
“I felt like I didn’t want my teammates to jump on me,” joked Nickerson. “I got hit in the side real hard. It was exciting (to hit the shot). It was a sigh of relief.”
USC-Upstate, which was opening their second year in the A-Sun, came into the game winless at 0-4 with losses to programs like Notre Dame and Georgia.
The Owls had eight players score on the evening and had several players share the scoring load. Dixon, a reserve guard, led the team with 12 points while Nickerson finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Zadrian Gibson provided a huge spark from the bench, adding nine points, nine boards and three key blocks while guarding the 7-foot-3 giant Schneider.
The hero of the Colgate game, J.D. Pollack, sat out tonight’s contest with an ankle injury. The senior guard stated that he would likely return by the team’s next game on Dec. 13.
“I’m a quick healer, so I should be back by the Florida A&M game.”
KSU will now be off for 11 days for final exams before returning on Dec. 13 to face the Rattlers in Tallahassee.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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