Kennesaw State holds on to beat Samford 71-66

Dec 22, 2018, 10:17 am

KENNESAW, Ga. -- Tyler Hooker nailed a trey and added two free throws in the final minutes to give Kennesaw State a 71-66 victory over Samford on Thursday night.

Samford's Alex Peters drove for a layup to give the Bulldogs a 64-63 lead with 1:40 left. Hooker scored five straight for a 68-64 lead and Kosta Jankovic added a free throw. Samford's Justin Coleman missed a 3-point attempt in the final seconds.

James Scott led the way with 20 points, Jankovic added 15, tying a career high, and Nick Masterson chipped in 12 for the Owls (3-9).

Kennesaw State led 29-28 at the break and pushed its advantage to 41-31 before Samford charged back to take a 47-46 lead after Demetrius Denzel-Dyson, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, slammed home a dunk and followed with a layup at the 12:59 mark.

Justin Coleman added 17 points for Samford (4-9) which has lost eight straight on the road.