By: by Scott Lipsky
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls look to make it three in a row on Saturday evening, when they play host to another crucial Atlantic Sun Conference game against the Stetson Hatters at the KSU Convocation Center at 7:30 p.m.
The Owls (7-17, 5-9 A-Sun) are coming off of a thrilling, 69-68, home win on Friday night over Florida Gulf Coast that saw two Owls, senior Kelvin McConnell and sophomore Markeith Cummings, surpass 1,000 points for their career and junior guard Spencer Dixon make his second game-winning shot in less than a month, this time a step-back three with 3.2 seconds remaining to lift the Owls to victory.
Other than trying to win three games in a row for the first time this season, the Black and Gold are taking on an opponent in Stetson (7-19, 5-10 A-Sun) that currently sits just a half-game back of the Owls in the A-Sun standings. The Owls currently sit in seventh place, while Stetson and Campbell are currently in a tie for eighth. With only eight teams qualifying for the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, one of those three teams will most likely be the odd man out, making games like this especially crucial with the season starting to hit the home stretch.
“Stetson can be a very dangerous team, they’ve beaten Wake Forest and East Tennessee State this season,” Owls head coach Tony Ingle said. “Our backs are against the wall in the conference race, and we have to do everything we can to get into the conference tournament. This is our second season of being a full-fledged Division I program, and we need to continue to build a tradition of success, and we have to make sure we’re ready to play and do whatever we can to win on Saturday.”
Milestones and great moments aside, the Black and Gold have several things to look at from Thursday night’s win over FGCU that is very encouraging. They outrebounded their opponent for the second straight game after having been outrebounded in the five contests prior, and their 11 three-point baskets was a career high. They also had four players score in double figures for the second straight game, moving to 5-1 on the season when they accomplish that feat.
Individually, Owls sophomore LaDaris Green continued his phenomenal play in the second half of the season, notching his third double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He recorded a career-high nine offensive rebounds, and his 10 double-digit rebound performances this season is the most by a player in the Atlantic Sun Conference this season by a good margin, as teammate Aaron Anderson and East Tennessee State’s Isiah Brown sharing second place with six apiece.
In the Hatters, the Owls find a team just as hungry for each win. They are fresh off of a devastating, 72-62, overtime loss at Mercer on Thursday night, when they led by a point with 28 seconds to play but were unable to secure the victory in regulation and shot just 3-for-9 from the floor during the extra session.
The Hatters are led by sophomore Ridge Graham and freshman sensation Corey Walden, who is the reigning A-Sun Newcomer of the Week, earning the award the same day the Owls Markeith Cummings was named the A-Sun Player of the Week. Graham leads the teams at 12.8 points per game, while Walden isn’t far behind, averaging 12.0 points per contest in his inaugural campaign.
Graham and Walden both scored in double figures in the two team’s last match-up at Stetson on Jan. 16. Joined by teammate Luis Jacobo, who had 16 points, the Hatters went back-and-forth with the Owls in a game that featured eight ties and 19 lead changes. Trailing, 62-61, with six seconds left to play after a Graham layup, the Owls called timeout and inbounded the ball the Spencer Dixon, who took the ball three-quarters of the length of the floor before laying the ball up in traffic as time expired to give the Owls their second straight road win.
McConnell led the way against Stetson with 16 points, and was joined by Cummings (14 points), Dixon (11 points) and Anderson (10 points). All four of them will be strongly counted on to secure the season sweep on Saturday, which would give them the tie-breaker when it comes to seeding in the conference tournament.
Saturday night’s game can be heard on Talk 920 AM and www.talk920.com, with play-by-play voice Craig Corbin and color analyst and Owls great Scott Webb calling the action. The Atlantic Sun Conference’s subscription video streaming service, Asun.tv, will carry the game live, Dave Albert behind the mic. Live stats will also be available.
All youth basketball players in sixth grade or younger who wear their basketball jerseys to the game will receive discounted, five-dollar tickets, along with their family members. General admission tickets are 10 dollars for adults and six dollars for youth in eighth grade or younger. Admission to all athletic events is free for all Kennesaw State students with a valid student ID.
