By: by Mark Toma
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State will welcome long-time rival North Florida to town on Saturday evening for the final home game of the season. The Owls will also be celebrating Senior Night as the Black and Gold family will honor Junior Ajayi, Jon-Michael Nickerson and Jonathan Whipple in a pregame ceremony at the KSU Convocation Center.
Both the Owls and the Ospreys clinched spots in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament this week and are battling for position in the league standings with three games left in the regular season. Kennesaw State (12-16, 7-10 A-Sun) and North Florida are currently tied for 7th place with the Ospreys having defeated the Owls, 66-60, on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville.
"We want to finish strong as we get ready for the conference tournament," said senior Jon-Michael Nickerson. "Saturday is going to be a special night and I know Polo and Junior and I would like to win in our last home game."
Kennesaw State is looking to snap its four-game losing streak, while North Florida (12-15, 7-10 A-Sun) enters the game having lost three of their last four games. Their win came on Feb. 13 when they defeated Florida Gulf Coast at home in overtime, 68-65.
The Owls freshman sensation Markeith Cummings is fresh off his fifth double-double of the year, a 24-point, 12-rebound effort against Jacksonville. It was his first 20-plus scoring game since Jan. 27 when he scored 25 points at Mercer.
Cummings is averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds and has led the Owls in both scoring and rebounding in the last two games, making five times that he has led Kennesaw State in both categories in a game, including a 23-point, six-rebound effort in the first meeting with the Ospreys.
North Florida is the only team in the conference that does not have a player averaging in double figures this season. Jerron Granberry is leading a balanced Ospreys attack at 9.1 points per game while Matt Sauey is slightly behind at 9.0 points. Stan Januska (8.5 ppg) and Andy Diaz (8.3 ppg) follow as UNF has six players averaging over 7.5 points.
Eni Cuka, who is averaging 7.9 points for North Florida, is the only Osprey to post a 20-plus point scoring game this season. Cuka scored 23 points at Lipscomb on Feb. 3 and is coming off a 21-point night at Mercer on Thursday.
Kennesaw State leads the all-time series which began in 1998, 14-9, but North Florida has taken two of the last three games between the teams. The Owls have won six of the nine meetings between the teams since they both became Division I members in 2005. Prior to joining the A-Sun, both programs were Division II members in the Peach Belt Conference.
Saturday night’s game can be heard live on 920 am WGKA as well as on-line at www.920WGKA.com. Craig Corbin, play-by-play and Scott Webb, color analyst, will call the action beginning with the Peachtree Orthopedic Clinic Pregame Show beginning at 7:00 p.m.
