By: by Mark Toma
KENNESAW, Ga. – With six wins in a row and growing confidence, Kennesaw State will look to match its longest Division I winning streak on Saturday night when they host USC Upstate at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls (12-12, 7-6 A-Sun) have moved into sixth place in the Conference and are a game behind ETSU and Belmont for fourth place in the league. USC Upstate (3-18, 3-9 A-Sun) is ineligible for postseason as they are in year three of a four-year reclassification period.
Kennesaw State is meeting USC Upstate for the first time since Jan. 17 when the Black and Gold came up on the short end of a, 66-62, overtime loss. However, things have changed dramatically since that game.
After the win over KSU, the Spartans defeated North Florida, marking the only time this season they have won back-to-back games. Since, they have dropped three straight games. The Owls have won six straight and can match their longest winning streak since the 2005-06 season, their first Division I campaign.
Winners of seven out of their last eight games and four in a row at the KSU Convocation Center, the Owls will look to ride the hot play of point guard Spencer Dixon. The sophomore is fresh off a 16-point performance against Mercer in which he has scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game.
The Owls have received strong play in the paint as Zadrian Gibson played significant minutes on Thursday and came up with a season-high, nine points and eight rebounds. LaDaris Green came up with an eight-point, eight-rebound night while Matt Heramb, who has started the last six games, is averaging five points and 5.4 rebounds over his last five games.
USC Upstate looks to senior Nick Schneiders for their success. The 7-foot-3-inch center is leading the Spartans in points, rebounds and blocked shots and is the only player scoring in double figures at 12.1 points per game. Mezie Uzochukwu, a 6-foot-5-inch junior, is second on the team in scoring and rebounding.
The Spartans lead the all-time series, 13-8, and have won four of the last five meetings. The last Kennesaw State victory over USC Upstate came at the KSU Convocation Center last season when Jon-Michael Nickerson hit a shot at the buzzer in a, 66-64, win at the KSU Convocation Center.
The series, which has never seen a team win more than two games in a row, has seen an inordinate number of close games beginning with a, 60-59, USC Upstate win in 1993. Over the 21 previous meetings, 17 have been decided by 10 or fewer points and 12 by six or less.
Tip-off between the Owls and the Spartans is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The 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 at 7:00 p.m.
