By: by Scott Lipsky
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls will return home on Monday evening and try and snap a two-game skid when they host the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at KSU Convocation Center at 7:30 p.m. The game will be the Owls second in the four-game Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge.
The Owls (2-2) got off to an auspicious 2-0 start to the season, which included a 17-point rout of Georgia Tech, before dropping their last two contests, including Saturday night’s to Alabama State, their first road game of the year. During their first game away from their home fans, the Black and Gold struggled from the floor, shooting a season-low .380 and committing 17 turnovers, tying a season-high.
One bright spot for head coach Tony Ingle’s squad has been junior guard Spencer Dixon, who led the team in scoring for the second game this season with a game-high 23 points. Sophomore Markeith Cummings chipped in with 15 points for his 13th consecutive double-figure game dating back to last season.
In the Lumberjacks, the Owls will find another 2-2 squad who will be wrapping up their entry in the Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge Monday evening. Northern Arizona defeated Alabama State while falling to Creighton and Iowa State, two teams that the Owls will travel to during Thanksgiving Week.
Northern Arizona has several weapons at their disposal, most notably 6-foot-4 senior guard Cameron Jones, a two-time All-Big Sky selection who finished second in the league last season at 19.3 points per game. Paired with Jones in the backcourt is fellow senior Eric Platt, who is in his second season with the Lumberjacks after beginning his collegiate career at Wyoming. Platt currently leads the team in scoring over the squad’s first four games at 17.2 points per contest, including a 28-point effort on Friday evening against Southwestern (AZ).
Monday night will mark the Owls last home game until Jan. 3, as they prepare to embark on a seven-game road trip beginning with their Thanksgiving week trip to the Midwest to play Iowa State and Creighton. The seven consecutive games on an opponent’s home floor will mark the most in the program’s history, and the most consecutive games away from home since the 2006-07 season, when they played in eight consecutive games away from the KSU Convocation Center, three of them coming at neutral sites. Their 41 days between home games in-season will also be a program record.
Tickets for Monday night’s game are $10 for general admission and $6 for all youth in eighth grade or younger. All Kennesaw State students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.
All fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to toss onto the court at halftime, with all of the stuffed animals going to the Samaritan’s Purse. In addition, all students that are members of Owl Nation will receive double points for attending the game.
The game will be broadcast live on Talk 920 AM and www.talk920.com, with play-by-play voice Craig Corbin and color analyst Scott Webb bringing you all the action. Live stats will also be available on ksuowls.com.
