By: KSU Sports Information
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Game Notes Coach Preston Pregame
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls tip-off their final homestand on Thursday evening when they play host to the Belmont Bruins at the KSU Convocation Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Owls (3-26, 0-16 Atlantic Sun Conference) will be trying to avenge four consecutive close losses on Thursday, most recently falling at Jacksonville on Monday evening, 73-71, when they host the Bruins (22-7, 14-2 A-Sun), who are winners of nine straight.
Coach Preston to Go “On the Line": Owls head coach Lewis Preston will be wearing a blue bowtie during each game this weekend in partnership with the “On The Line” campaign to educate and promote awareness of Prostate Cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear blue bow ties to the game. Approximately 80 coaches around college basketball are expected to participate. More information about the nationwide initiative can be found on the campaign’s website,
http://www.ontheline.com/ .
It’s Twitter Thursday at the Convocation Center: Fans can check out the Owls official Twitter handle, @KSUOwlNation, and print out the tweet promoting Thursday night’s special ticket promotion, and receive the promotion when they present the print out to the ticket office.
During the second half, two lucky students will have a free-throw shooting contest on the KSU Convocation Center floor, with the winner winning two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the Continental United States, courtesy of Air Tran Airways.
Tickets are 10 dollars for adults and six dollars for youth in eighth grade and under. Kennesaw State students receive free admission to all home athletic events when they present a valid student ID.
Listen to All of the Action Live: Live action of Thursday night’s game can be heard, free-of-charge, on KSU All Access (
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase). ASun.tv, the official subscription streaming service of the Atlantic Sun Conference, will have live video of the game.
About the Match-up:
All-time record vs. Belmont: 2-11
Record at KSU Convocation Center: 2-4
Last meeting: Dec. 1, 2011- 98-52- Nashville, Tenn.
-The Owls fell behind, 12-0 to start the game, and trailed, 48-31, at halftime. Belmont had a 9-0 run and a pair of 7-0 runs in the second half to put the game out of reach.
-Belmont was buoyed by 54.4 percent shooting and just four turnovers, while the Owls were led by Markeith Cummings, who scored a game-high 21 points. Four Bruins were in double figures.
Last Owls win vs. Belmont: Jan. 24, 2008- KSU Convocation Center- Owls 81, Belmont 79
About the Bruins:
-The Bruins enter Thursday night on a nine-game winning streak, and lead Mercer by two games for first place in the A-Sun. A win over the Owls would clinch them the regular season conference title, and a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.
-Belmont is currently ranked number 16 in the Mid Major Top 25 poll, the only A-Sun team that is currently ranked.
-Rick Byrd’s squad has gone with what has made them successful in the past, employing a deep rotation in which nine players on the roster have averaged at least 10 minutes per game this season, and 10 players have appeared in at least 25 contests.
-Due to their multiple options, the Bruins do not have anyone that is currently ranked in the top-5 in the A-Sun in scoring, but has four players who average double figures and are number one as a team in scoring offense, averaging 82.5 points per game. They are led by junior Kerron Johnson, who is sixth in the league with 14.1 points per contest, while fellow junior Ian Clark (12.4 ppg) and seniors Drew Hanlen (11.2) and Scott Saunders (10.0) complement the well-balanced attack.
-Johnson and Hanlen are second and tied for fifth in the conference in assists per game, respectively, with 5.3 and 4.0.
A Terrific Trio: Entering Wednesday, Markeith Cummings (15.5 ppg), Spencer Dixon (13.5 ppg) and Delbert Love (12.5 ppg) are averaging a combined 41.5 points per contest, second to Stetson’s Adam Pegg, Chris Perez and Aaron Graham for the highest scoring trios in the A-Sun. Cummings (5.3 rpg) also has his hand in another two-man act, as he and Aaron Anderson’s A-Sun-leading 9.1 rpg give them the second-highest rpg among A-Sun teammates, behind Torrey Craig and Ricardo Glenn of USC Upstate. Cummings, Dixon and Love are one of just three teammate trios in the A-Sun to have had three or more 20-point performances this season.
Oh So Close: The Owls fell at Jacksonville on Monday, 73-71, after missing what would have been a game-winning three at the buzzer. That close miss followed back-to-back overtime defeats, first at home to Tennessee-Martin on Feb. 14, 76-75, and then in in double-overtime, 81-77, at North Florida on Feb. 18.
Big Night For Spencer: Owls senior Spencer Dixon is expected to appear in his 123
rd career game on Thursday night, which would tie him with Kelvin McConnell (2007-11) for the program’s all-time games played record. He is on pace to break the record on Senior Night, his final collegiate game, on Saturday evening vs. Lipscomb. Dixon is seventh on the program’s all-time scoring list (1,295), second in steals (175) and sixth in assists (389).
Board Milestones Ahead For Aaron, Markeith: Aaron Anderson had 11 rebounds on Monday evening at Jacksonville, and in doing so, broke the Owls Division I single-season rebound record, previously held by Shuan Stegall, who had 254 rebounds during the 2006-07 campaign. Markeith Cummings grabbed his 500th rebound of the season on Monday, becoming just the seventh player in Owls history to score at least 1,000 points and record 500 or more rebounds. Overall, they have been within five points of the lead with five minutes or less remaining in the game in nine of the last 15 contests.
Dawson Keeps Continues To Step Up: Sophomore Brandon Dawson matched his career-high with seven rebounds at Stetson on Jan. 30, and then tied his career-high with 12 points vs. ETSU on Feb. 4. He showed his peak performance as of late wasn’t a fluke, as he dropped 12 points once again vs. USC Upstate on 2/6, and then matched that number again on Saturday evening at UNF. His performance against the Ospreys also included career highs in blocks (2), minutes played (44) and field goals made (6).
Delbert Can Fill It Up: Owls freshman Delbert Love enters Thursday first in the A-Sun among freshman and 10th overall with 12.5 points per game. He has shown an ability to score consistently, as he has recently ended a streak in which he was in double figures in eight straight games and has scored 20 or more points three times during his inaugural campaign.
