By: KSU Sports Information
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Tickets Coach Preston Pregame
KENNESAW, Ga. – It will be a quick turnaround for the Kennesaw State Owls, as they will try to bounce back from their Monday defeat to Stetson by taking on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls (3-11, 0-3 Atlantic Sun Conference) and the Eagles (5-8, 1-2 A-Sun) are both trying to rebound from Monday defeats, the Owls narrowly missing against the Stetson Hatters, 66-62, and the Eagles falling short down in Macon to Mercer, 76-54.
Were you there on Monday? Come on by again on Wednesday night! Anyone who purchased a ticket to Monday night’s men’s game will receive free admission to the men’s game on Wednesday night. Tickets for the game are 10 dollars for adults and six dollars for youth in eighth grade or younger. KSU students receive free admission to all Owls home athletic events when they present a valid student ID.
Listen to All of the Action Live: Fans can listen for free to all Owls men’s basketball game all season long on
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase. Coverage for Wednesday night’s game is slated to begin at 6:45 p.m. Live video of the game is available through the Atlantic Sun Conference’s subscription streaming, ASun.tv.
Owls Drop Close Contest Monday Night: The Black and Gold fell in their 2011-12 Atlantic Sun Conference home opener on Monday evening, falling to the Stetson Hatters, 66-62, their first home game since Nov. 26. They trailed, 32-21, at halftime before twice pulling to within two points in the second half. A free throw by the Hatters’ Aaron Graham with two seconds left made it a four-point game, sealing the Owls fate on a night in which Markeith Cummings led four Owls in double figures.
Owls Enter Wednesday With Several Conference Leaders: Look at the A-Sun statistical leaders, and you will find the top of many categories occupied by Owls. Entering Wednesday’s action, junior Markeith Cummings leads the way in the league with 17.2 points per game. Junior Anderson, for his part, rules the glass with 8.9 rebounds per game, tops in the league. Not to be outdone, Spencer Dixon’s 36.4 minutes per game makes him the top workhorse in the A-Sun.
Big Night For Markeith: Cummings enters Wednesday night just 15 points shy of the current Owls Division I scoring record, currently held by Ronell Wooten (2004-08), who scored 1,379 points during his last three years in Kennesaw, the program’s first three at the Division I level.
Improving Defense Pacing the Owls: The Owls have held their last three opponents to a combined 46.4 percent shooting, after their first 11 games yielded an opposing shooting percentage of 50.8 percent.
Dawson Comes up Big: Owls sophomore Brandon Dawson made his sixth start of the season on Monday night, and the Atlanta native did not disappoint, coming up with eight points and a career-high seven rebounds in his 29 minutes of play, also a career-high.
About the Match-Up:
All-Time Series: Owls Lead, 6-2- Have won last four meetings
Last season: Feb. 10, 2011- Owls 69, Eagles 68- Kennesaw, Ga.
Jan. 14, 2011- Owls 81, Eagles 70- Fort Myers, Fla.
About the Last Meeting: Kelvin McConnell led four Owls in double figures with 19 points, with the big moment coming in the closing moments, when a step-back three by Spencer Dixon (18 points) with seven seconds to go would prove to be the game-winner.
Key Fact: Cummings and Dixon both had a lot of success against the Eagles last season, with Cummings averaging 17.5 points per game in the Owls two wins over FGCU last year and Dixon 17.0 ppg. Even more notably, Cummings went for 30 points against the Eagles the first time he faced them, a, 69-68, win in Fort Myers on Jan. 22, 2010.
About the Eagles:
-The Eagles, like the Owls, have a first-year head coach in Andy Enfield, who like Lewis Preston, comes from a background that includes time as an assistant coach at the major conference level. He spent five years at Florida State
after serving on coaching staffs for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
-FGCU has several threats on the perimeter, with sophomore sharpshooter Chistophe Varidel leading the way heading into Wednesday with a 53.3 percentage from three-point range. He is joined from deep by teammates
Filip Cvjeticanin (freshman, 43.6 pct.) and Sherwood Brown (junior, 41.0 pct.).
-Brown heads into Wednesday night’s game tied for the team lead in scoring at 11.8 points per contest, with
freshman Bernard Thompson also averaging 11.8 ppg and Varidel close behind at 11.2 ppg. Thompson is the reigning A-Sun Newcomer of the Week.
-On Monday evening, the Eagles, who are in their first year of NCAA Division I postseason eligibility, allowed hosting Mercer to shoot 46.0 pct. from the 40.6 pct. they have allowed opponents to shoot from the field this season, and committed 20 turnovers, the most since their season-opener at Texas Christian.
