By: by Scott Lipsky
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Kennesaw State Owls take their show on the road one last time during the 2010-11 season, when they visit the North Florida Ospreys at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The Black and Gold will be looking to avenge two consecutive losses.
Coming off of a, 75-60, loss at Jacksonville on Friday evening, the Owls (8-19, 6-11 Atlantic Sun Conference) find themselves with three crucial games remaining on their A-Sun slate before the A-Sun Tournament, which is held Mar. 2-5 at Mercer in Macon, Ga. The top eight eligible teams in the A-Sun make it, and through 17 conference games, the Owls currently find themselves in a situation where a win on Sunday coupled with a Stetson loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Monday clinches a spot for them.
“This time of year, every game is so important because they all have serious postseason implications,” Owls head coach Tony Ingle said. “It’s crucial that we come into these games mentally tough and ready to play defense for entire possessions, and limit second our opponent’s second chances on missed shots.”
The Owls will try and rebound from a game on Friday evening that saw them trailing by 14 at halftime and one in which they were out-rebounded by their opponents for the first time in five games despite LaDaris Green posting his sixth consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Markeith Cummings continued to be the main supply of offense for the Black and Gold, scoring 18 points to lead the squad in scoring for the 14th this season and fourth time in five games.
North Florida (10-18, 7-10 A-Sun), clinches a spot in the year-end tournament with a win on Sunday, and would give the Ospreys their second straight season sweep of the Owls. They were victorious the first time the two squads met this season, winning in Kennesaw on Jan. 20, 71-56. They were able to seal the victory thanks to 65 percent shooting in the second half (13-for-20), the highest an opponent has shot in a half of basketball against the Owls this season. Cummings had 20 points to lead the Owls in the contest, while Andres Diaz led the way for the Ospreys, scoring 21.
Diaz is one of three Ospreys to average in double figures in scoring this season, joined by their leading scorer and super-sub, sophomore guard Parker Smith, who has 12.1 points per game this season despite having come off the bench in every game. Fellow sophomores Jerron Granberry (11.4 ppg) and Diaz (10.6 ppg) complement Smith in UNF’s scoring arsenal.
The Ospreys are just 3-7 on their home floor this season, and have dropped four of their last five games, most recently falling at home, 78-75, to Mercer, on Friday evening.
Sunday’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. Live stats will also be available.
