By: by Scott Lipsky
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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Halfway through the 2010-11 Atlantic Sun Conference schedule, the Kennesaw State Owls men’s basketball team begins their second tour through the league on Saturday afternoon, when they visit the East Tennessee State Bucs at the Memorial Center at 4 p.m. Fans can listen live on Talk 920 AM and www.talk920.com
Kennesaw State (5-15, 3-7 A-Sun) will be looking to snap a three-game slide, which was most recently extended by a, 78-70, loss against the Mercer Bears on Tuesday evening, a game in which there were 15 lead changes and eight ties, but Mercer took the lead 11 seconds into the second half and did not trail for the remainder of the game. Prior to Tuesday, they dropped home contests to North Florida and Jacksonville.
Going on the road could be just the cure for the Black and Gold, however, as they won a pair of games playing the role at visitor, first at Florida Gulf Coast and then at Stetson, putting them right back in the thick of things in the race for a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
Despite their recent struggles as a team, many of the core players on the Owls have been able to establish themselves as leaders in some of the premier statistical categories in the A-Sun. Sophomore forward Markeith Cummings, who has scored at least 20 points in each of his last three games, comes into Friday second in the league in scoring at 16.9 points per game, and he and teammate Spencer Dixon are the second highest scoring duo in the league, collectively averaging 31.2 points per contest.
On the glass, it’s the same story, with sophomores Aaron Anderson and LaDaris Green currently sitting second and third on the A-Sun list in rebounding, respectively, at 7.9 and 7.4 boards per game, combining to be the most prolific rebounding combination in the league. Green, in particular, has come on as of late, posting 19 points, which tied his career high, to go along with 10 rebounds in their loss to Mercer for his fourth double-double of the season.
Individual statistics are nice, but to Owls head coach Tony Ingle, it will take a true team effort to be successful night in and night out, especially against a team like East Tennessee State (14-8, 9-2 A-Sun).
“ETSU has played good basketball this season. They play together and they play smart. They’re in the hunt for the conference title this season, so we’re going to have to be ready to go out there and be successful,” Ingle said. “For us, it’s a process. We generally start three sophomores, a junior and a senior, so it’s a matter of taking those individual successes and turning it into a true team effort.”
It has indeed been rebounding that, collectively, has been a struggle for the Owls as of late, as they have had less than 30 rebounds in each of the last three games after having done that in just two other games throughout this season. They did not struggle from the field, however, against Mercer, shooting a season-high 54.9 percent (28-for-51) from the field in Tuesday night’s game.
The Owls shot the ball effectively, as well, in their last outing against ETSU, an 80-69 defeat at the KSU Convocation Center, when they tied a then-season high 50.9 percent (29-57). Each team had four players score in double figures in the game, with the Owls being led by Dixon, who had 15 points. The Bucs were led by Justin Tubbs, who had 21 points and eight rebounds.
Tubbs’ performance against the Owls earlier this season embodied the depth of ETSU’s squad, as he is their fourth leading scorer on the team at 9.9 points per game. Their senior guard, Mike Smith, is fourth in the league in scoring at 16.2 points per contest, and despite being in the Bucs’ backcourt, is also one of the top rebounders in the league at 7.2 per game. He scored 17 points and had six rebounds in their win over the Owls earlier this month.
The Owls will be looking for their first-ever win at the Memorial Center in six tries on Saturday. It will be just their second afternoon game of the season, having won their only other one, 63-62, in a visit to Stetson on Jan. 16, when Spencer Dixon drove to the basket and laid the ball in while in traffic as time expired. ETSU has played almost half of their games while there has been daylight outside, compiling a 5-5 record in those contests.
Saturday’s game can be heard live on Talk 920 AM and www.talk920.com, with play-by-play voice Craig Corbin and color analyst and Owls great Scott Webb calling all of the action. Fans can also watch the game live on the A-Sun’s subscription streaming service, A-Sun.tv. Live stats will also be available.
