By: KSU Sports Information
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Coach Preston Pregame
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Kennesaw State Owls will play their fourth consecutive game away from home on Wednesday evening when they take on the Charlotte 49ers at Halton Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Listen to All of the Action Live: Coverage of Wednesday night's contest between the Owls (3-15, 1-11 Away) and the 49ers (9-7, 2-3 Home) will begin at 7:15 p.m. on KSU All Access at www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase. www.Charlotte49ers.com will also provide subscription video streaming of the game.
It’s Home From Here: Wednesday night will mark 15th road game for the Owls in their first 19 games of the 2011-12 season. The contest is their final one on the road against a non-conference opponent, and eight of the last 12 regular season games for the Black and Gold will come at the KSU Convocation Center.
Owls Freshman Delbert Love:
“Games like this we can use to come together as a team. We still have a chance to finish strong this season, and a strong performance against an opponent like Charlotte will help us build some confidence as we attack the rest of the A-Sun schedule. We’ve been on the road a lot this year, but other than a few games we’ve been able to stay in the games for the long haul.”
On Spencer Dixon, himself and Markeith Cummings ranking 1,2 and 3 in the A-Sun in Minutes Per Game:
“My body is still getting used to putting in so many minutes, but going through this experience with Spencer and Markeith has been helpful, because they’re used to this. We’re very familiar with each other’s games since we’ve been on the court with one another so much, so that has benefitted us a great deal.”
About the Match-Up:
All-Time Series: First Ever Meeting
Owls All-Time vs. The Atlantic 10: 1-5
A-Sun vs. The Atlantic 10 in 2011-12: 1-1
About the 49ers:
-The 49ers are led by second-year head coach Alan Major, who came to Charlotte from Ohio State, where he was an assistant coach for six seasons. His time with the Buckeyes overlapped for two seasons with Lewis Preston’s stint at Big Ten rival Penn State. Moreover, Preston's Florida Gators and Major's Buckeyes met in the 2007 NCAA National Championship game, with Florida coming out on top, 84-75.
-Charlotte has two players currently averaging double figures in scoring; junior forward Chris Braswell, who leads the 49ers with 14.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg, and senior guard Javarris Barnett, with 11.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Braswell is recently coming off of a 31-point effort in the squad’s loss at Massachusetts on Jan. 11.
-The Owls and 49ers have one common opponent this season, with Charlotte just being edged out at home by East Tennessee State, 70-69, on Nov. 22.
Four Score: Four Owls led the way on Friday evening at Mercer, with Markeith Cummings, Spencer Dixon, Delbert Love and Mirza Sabic all scoring 10 points in their defeat at Mercer. It marked the fourth time this season that four Owls have scored in double figures.
The Elder Statesmen: Cummings and Dixon enter Wednesday ranked first and second among active A-Sun players in career points with 1,409 and 1,147, respectively. Dixon is the active career leader in steals (157) and third in assists (346), while Cummings is tied for fifth in rebounds (448).
Mirza Steps Up: Owls junior Mirza Sabic had a game to remember on Friday evening, notching career-highs in points (10) and minutes (27) while matching his career-best with five rebounds.
Delbert Among Top A-Sun Freshmen: Owls freshman Delbert Love has made his mark as one of the top newcomers in the Atlantic Sun Conference during the first half of the regular season. Entering Wednesday, the Cleveland, Ohio, native ranks first among freshmen in minutes per game (36.4) and three-point field goals made (35) and is second among first-year college players in points per game (10.8) and third in assists (3.2).
More Time for Romain: Owls senior Romain Henry hasn't just started the last two games, his minutes have been steadily increasing over the past few weeks. The Atlanta native has logged over 20 minutes on the court in eight of the last nine games.
Stars of the A-Sun, and the Nation: Aaron Anderson enters Friday leading the A-Sun with 8.3 rebounds per game, while Cummings and 15.8 points per contest are third best in the league. As of the NCAA’s most recent stat release on 1/15, Anderson is ranked No. 65 in Division I in rebounds per game, while Cummings is 143 in scoring. In addition, Owls senior Spencer Dixon ranks tied for third in the A-Sun in three-point baskets per game, draining an average of 2.4 shots from behind the arc each contest. He’s currently 82 in the nation in that category.
The Board Patrol: The Owls have held their opponents to under 30 rebounds in three of their last six games, allowing just 26 rebounds at Mercer (1/13), at East Tennessee State (1/9) and vs. Florida Gulf Coast (1/4).
No Second Chances Here: The Black and Gold have yielded just 47 second chance points over their last six games (7.8/gm).
Counting on the Bench: Kennesaw State has recorded double digit bench points in each of their last two games, scoring 16 at Mercer on 1/13 and 10 at East Tennessee State on 1/9.
Putting in Work in the Paint: The Owls were averaging 22.5 points in the paint heading into their Dec. 30 tilt at Ohio, but have since averaged 26.0 points in the paint per game, having out-performed three of their last six opponents in the interior. Their 32 points in the paint on 1/7 at USC Upstate was their highest all year on the road.
