By: KSU Sports Information
Listen Watch
Live Stats Game Notes
Coach Preston Pregame
A-Sun Weekly Release
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Kennesaw State Owls will look to top the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Saturday evening in an Atlantic Sun Conference match-up at Alico Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Saturday will mark the first of two road games for the Owls in the state of Florida.
The Owls (3-18, 0-9 A-Sun) will try and snap a nine-game slide, and will also try to avenge a, 62-55, loss to the Eagles (10-10, 5-4 A-Sun), which came on Jan. 4 at the KSU Convocation Center.
Listen to All of the Action Live: Tune in to KSU All Access (
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase) beginning at 5:00 p.m. to listen to all of the action, free-of-charge. Fans can also watch Saturday's match-up on ASun.tv, the Atlantic Sun Conference's subscription video streaming service.
Let's Party Like it's 2011: The Owls follow-up Saturday night's game with a Monday evening tilt at Stetson. The last time the Owls made this trip to take on these two A-Sun opponents was Jan. 14-16, 2011, when the Black and Gold followed up their 81-70 victory over the Eagles with a, 63-62, victory over Stetson two days later.
About the Match-Up:
All-Time Series: Owls lead, 6-3
Owls Record at Alico Arena: 3-1
The Last Time They Met: Jan. 4, 2012-Kennesaw, Ga.- FGCU 62, Owls 55.
Notable:
-The Owls went to halftime with a, 27-25, lead, but allowed nine straight Eagles points early on in the second half and would not regain the lead. The game was the first this season in which the Owls led at halftime and did not go on to win.
-Aaron Anderson and Spencer Dixon led the Owls with 17 points apiece, while Delbert Love added 12 points for the Owls. FGCU was led by freshman Bernard Thompson, who had 22 points for the Eagles.
-The loss snapped the Owls four-game winning streak over FGCU.
-The 50 total rebounds in the team’s last match-up marks the lowest total in an Owls game this season.
About The Eagles:
-The Eagles have won their last two games, and have shot 61.3 percent in each of their victories, including a 33-for-51 (64.7 pct.) performance from the field in their, 92-85 win at Stetson on Jan. 20.
-Three FGCU players are currently averaging in double figures, and are led by junior Sherwood Brown’s 12.1 points per game. Freshman Bernard Thompson (11.9 ppg) and sophomore Christophe Varidel (10.2 ppg) join Brown in double figures. Brett Comer has manned the point guard position for Enfield’s squad, and enters Saturday leading the A-Sun with 5.7 assists per contest.
-One of the hallmarks of FGCU is their youth. Of 100 available starts through 20 games this season, 69 of them have been made by freshmen and sophomores.
-Varidel is currently second in the A-Sun from long range, shooting 46.7 percent on three-point attempts. Freshman Filip Cvjeticanin (43.9) and Brown (41.0) have also proven to be serious outside threats for the Eagles.
It’s the Second Time Around: The Owls begin their second journey through the Atlantic Sun Conference on Saturday evening, as they have now played each of their nine league foes once.
Aaron Continues to Deliver: Aaron Anderson had his second consecutive double-double on Monday evening against North Florida, matching his career high with 19 points and hauling in 11 rebounds, giving him his A-Sun-high seventh double-double of the season and 10th double digit rebounding game of the season. He currently leads the A-Sun with 9.1 rebounds per game, and is 42nd in the nation in that category after play had completed on Thursday.
Very Dynamic Duos: Entering Monday, Markeith Cummings (15.8 ppg) and Spencer Dixon (13.2 ppg) are the highest scoring duo in the A-Sun with a combined 29.0 points per contest. Cummings (5.4 rpg) also has his hand in another two-man act, as he and Anderson (9.1 rpg) and their 14.5 rpg are the most prolific rebounding teammates in the league.
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 26.4 points in the paint per game, having out-performed or tied five of their last eight opponents in the interior. Their 38 points in the paint against North Florida on Monday was their second-highest of the season, and the most in a game that went the regulation 40 minutes.
The Elder Statesmen: Cummings and Dixon enter Saturday ranked first and second among active A-Sun players in career points with 1,456 and 1,180, respectively. Dixon is the active career leader in steals (164) and third in assists (358), while Cummings is fourth in rebounds (463).
A Hard Day’s Work: One constant for the Owls this season has been the consistent court presence of Owls Spencer Dixon (36.5 mpg) Delbert Love (36.5) and Markeith Cummings (35.0). Entering Saturday, the trio rank first, second, and third in the A-Sun in minutes per game, respectively. Dixon and Love are tied for 25th in the nation in that category.
Mirza Steps Up: Owls junior Mirza Sabic had a game to remember on 1/13 at Mercer, notching career-highs in points (10) and minutes (27) while matching his career-best with five rebounds. He matched that career-high on Monday night vs. North Florida. His play as of late has earned him more playing time, as he played a career-high 28 minutes on Monday, the third time in four games in which he has logged at least 26 minutes.
