By: by Scott Lipsky
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls face a demanding test on Monday evening, when they host their local rival, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, at 7:30 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls (1-0) are coming off of a season-opening, 82-62, win over Georgia Southwestern on Friday evening, and have worked all weekend long to be prepared for Monday evening’s contest.
“This is the biggest non-conference game we’ve ever had on our campus and when you have a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference here, it’s a great opportunity for our program and for our fans,” Owls head coach Tony Ingle said. “We gave a great effort on Friday night against Georgia Southwestern, and now we’ve been spending the weekend preparing for tomorrow. It’s definitely an exciting time for all of us.”
Monday night’s contest will be the first time that the Black and Gold have hosted a team from any of the six “power” conferences in NCAA Division I basketball, that being the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac 10, at the KSU Convocation Center. They are familiar with the Ramblin’ Wreck, however, having played them on their campus last season, falling 80-55 in the road match-up. Two Owls who will be suiting up on Monday evening had some success in last year’s meeting, with junior Spencer Dixon recording 12 points and sophomore Markeith Cummings chipping in with 10.
Coach Ingle’s squad has several bright spots to look towards after Friday night’s contest. Seven members of the active roster are playing for the Owls for the first this season, and on opening night, the two that were in the starting lineup, Aaron Anderson and Andrew Osemhen, both contributed in big ways.
Anderson, a sophomore transfer from Central Arizona College, went for 19 points in his Owls debut, tying a Division program record for an Owl in their first game. Osemhen, a freshman, led all Owls with seven rebounds in just 20 minutes of play. Anderson went 9-for-12 from the field, part of a solid shooting effort from the entire Owls squad, who connected on 50.9% of their shots.
The Yellow Jackets (1-0) are coming off a defensive-minded, 52-39, home victory over Charleston Southern on Friday evening to kick-off their 2010-11 campaign. The Jackets’ 52 points are the fewest they have scored in a victory in head coach Paul Hewitt’s 10-plus season with the program.
Their squad also has a new feel from last season, as they lost several key players, including forwards Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal to the professional ranks. They will still be a tough match-up for the Black and Gold, however, as they do return junior guard Iman Shumpert, who was the third leading scorer on last season’s squad, along with several other veterans.
On an interesting note, after beginning the season against two opponents within the confines of their state, the Owls will cast their net far and wide for competition following Monday night’s contest. Their next 17 games will be against programs from outside of the state, their next in-state contest coming when they host Atlantic Sun Conference rival Mercer on Jan. 25.
Monday night’s game will be aired live on Fox Sports South as well as Fox Sports Florida. Fans can also listen by turning their dials to Talk 920 AM or by visiting www.talk920.com
Remaining tickets to Monday night’s game will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center. Tickets are $10 for general admission seating. All KSU students can receive one complimentary ticket to the contest, and can pick them up beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday morning. Tickets in the lower bowl of the arena are sold out.
