By: by Scott Lipsky
Listen Live I Game Notes
Live Stats
AMES, Iowa- The Kennesaw State Owls begin the longest stretch of true road games in their program’s history on Wednesday, when they take on the Iowa State Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum at 7 p.m. CST in their third game as part of the Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge. The Black and Gold will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Owls (2-3) are trying to rebound from a, 74-66, loss to Northern Arizona on Monday evening, a game in which they committed a season-low 10 turnovers, but also shot just .386 and were out-rebounded 41-31, giving up the most and recording the least this season. Owls junior guard Spencer Dixon continued to shine, leading all scorers for the second consecutive game with 23 points in their last home game until Jan. 3.
This will be the second time the Black and Gold will play against a team from the Big 12 conference. They traveled to Manhattan, Kan. on Dec. 17, 2006, where they took on Kansas State, dropping the contest, 82-54. Despite their success that came in their victory over another school from a “power” conference this season in Georgia Tech, Wednesday night will be different in that they are playing on the road without the Owls faithful there cheer them on, something that head coach Tony Ingle is very cognizant of.
“Iowa State may be the best team we play all year, and they play in a big arena, which will be a great experience for our players,” Ingle said of the upcoming contest against the 4-0 Cyclones. “We need to make sure that we come out ready to play. I’m interested to see how our players compete in an environment like this one.”
The Cyclones are starting a new era this season with newly-minted head coach Fred Hoiberg, an Ames native and a fan favorite from his time as a Cyclones player from 1991-95. Their current state of transition has not effected their play as of late, however, as they have jumped out to a 4-0 start under the new boss, which includes a thrilling, 91-88 victory over Creighton in which forward Jamie Vanderbeken made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat the Blue Jays, whom the Owls will play on Friday.
All five of Iowa State’s probable starters are averaging double figures in scoring this season, led by the stellar veteran backcourt play of senior guards Diante Garrett and Jake Anderson. The duo are averaging 18.5 and 12.8 points per contest, respectively, with Garrett leading the Big 12 with 7.3 assists per game and Anderson leading the Cyclones with 10.0 rebounds per contest, despite being just 6-foot-2 in size.
It will be important that the Owls continue their solid rebounding, with sophomores LaDaris Green and Aaron Anderson leading the way. The duo rank fifth and eighth in the Atlantic Sun Conference in rebounding at 7.6 and 7.2 per game, respectively. Green recorded his second double-digit rebounding effort of the season on Monday night when he pulled down 11 against Northern Arizona.
Beginning with Wednesday evening, the Owls will play seven consecutive games on their opponent’s home floor, the longest such streak in the program’s history. They played eight consecutive games away from home during the 2006-07 season, but three of those games were held on neutral courts. Their 41 days between home games during the season will also be a new program record.
The game will be broadcast live on Talk 920 WGKA, with play-by-play voice Craig Corbin and color analyst Scott Webb providing all of the action, and will also be available on www.talk920.com. For those wishing to view the contest, the game will be broadcast via Iowa State’s Clone Zone, which fans can access for $8.95. Live stats will also be available.
