GAME NO. 18
USC UPSATE (8-9, 2-2) at KENNESAW STATE (2-15, 1-4)
DATE: Jan. 17, 2013
TIME: 7:00 p.m. (ET)
SITE: KSU Convocation Center (4,600)
LOCATION: Kennesaw, Ga.
LIVE VIDEO: A-Sun TV
LIVE AUDIO: KSUOwls.com
LIVE STATS: KSUOwls.com
SERIES RECORD: USC Upstate leads, 17-9
LAST MEETING: Feb. 6, 2012; Upstate, 70-58
LAST WIN: Jan. 3, 2011, 79-71
KENNESAW STATE NOTES | USC UPSTATE NOTES | TICKETS | PROMOTIONS
GAME TIME:
• The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team returns to continue Atlantic Sun Conference play when it hosts USC Upstate Thursday (Jan. 17) at the KSU Convocation Center beginning at 7 p.m. The game will be video streamed live through ASun.TV and audio streamed at KSUOwls.com with Nathan McCreary and Brian Katrek calling the action.
• The Owls are in their eighth year as a member of the A-Sun after transitioning to Division I in 2005. Kennesaw State is seeking its third conference tournament appearance. The Owls previously advanced to the A-Sun Tournament in 2009 and 2010. The top eight teams following regular-season play advance to the tournament that is slated for March 6-9 in Macon, Ga.
• Kennesaw State (2-15, 1-4) is coming off an 81-72 setback at North Florida on Saturday (Jan. 12).
• USC Upstate begins play 8-9 overall and 2-2 in the A-Sun following back-to-back home losses to Florida Gulf Coast (72-71, OT) and Stetson (66-64).
• Head Coach Lewis Preston is in his second season guiding the Kennesaw State program after spending the previous three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach at Penn State.
GAME PROMOTIONS:
• A number of promotions are scheduled for the Kennesaw State-USC Upstate game on Thursday. Promotions include Double Owl Nation Point Night, Acworth Basketball Night, Tasty Thursdays, sponsored by Residence Life that includes a pre-game tailgate.
• Also scheduled is a halftime ceremony where the Kennesaw State women’s golf team will be presented its 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference championship rings. The Owls captured their first-ever conference title last spring.
USC UPSTATE SERIES HISTORY:
• Thursday’s contest marks the 27th meeting all-time between Kennesaw State and USC Upstate in a series that dates back to 1993 and the Spartans hold a 17-9 advantage. USC Upstate has won the last three meetings, including both contests last season. The Owls’ last win came on Jan. 3, 2011, when they posted a 78-71 victory at the KSU Convocation Center.
KENNESAW STATE-USC UPSTATE GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS:
DATE WINNING TEAM H/A SCORE
1/4/93 USC Upstate H 60-59
11/22/93 USC Upstate H 90-82
1/11/95 Kennesaw State H 83-71
2/20/95 USC Upstate A 77-69
1/10/96 Kennesaw State A 98-92 (OT)
2/7/96 USC Upstate H 60-59 (OT)
2/29/96* USC Upstate N 59-51
1/8/97 Kennesaw State H 92-89 (OT)
2/5/97 USC Upstate A 73-56
1/7/98 USC Upstate A 60-50
1/6/99 Kennesaw State H 68-62
1/5/00 Kennesaw State A 60-58
1/3/01 USC Upstate H 79-77
12/14/02 Kennesaw State H 69-67
2/1/03 USC Upstate A 66-56
1/17/04 Kennesaw State A 87-82
1/15/05 USC Upstate H 81-70 (OT)
2/1/08 USC Upstate A 71-65
12/1/08 Kennesaw State H 66-64
2/28/09 USC Upstate A 80-51
1/17/10 USC Upstate A 66-62 (OT)
2/6/10 USC Upstate H 68-64
1/3/11 Kennesaw State H 78-71
1/31/11 USC Upstate A 59-54
1/7/12 USC Upstate A 68-53
2/6/12 USC Upstate H 70-58
*PBC Tournament Quarterfinals; Milledgeville, Ga.
A LOOK AT USC UPSTATE:
• USC Upstate in 8-9 overall and 2-2 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The Spartans dropped back-to-back home losses to Florida Gulf Coast (72-71, OT) and Stetson (66-64) last week.
• Junior forward Torrey Craig is averaging 17.1 points a game to lead the Spartans and rank second in the A-Sun in scoring. He also is second on the club with 6.3 rebounds a contest. Sophomore guard Ty Greene is the only other USC Upstate player scoring in double as he is averaging 12.2 points a game.
• USC Upstate is second in the A-Sun Conference in scoring, averaging 70.5 points a game and tops the league in scoring margin (+5.5) and rebounding margin (+4.4).
• Head coach Eddie Payne is in his 11th season leading the USC Upstate program and has compiled an overall record to date of 149-167 (.471). In 28 seasons as a head coach, Payne has a career coaching record of 409-400 (.505).
NORTH FLORIDA RECAP:
• For 30 minutes, the Kennesaw State (2-15, 1-4) maintained its endurance and even held a four-point lead midway through the second half. However, behind the hot shooting of senior guard Parker Smith, the North Florida (8-11, 3-2) went on a 17-3 run over a five-minute period to build a 10-point lead and eventually register an 81-72 Atlantic Sun Conference victory.
• With Kennesaw State leading 53-49 following a basket by senior forward Markeith Cummings with 11:35 remaining, Smith answered with a three-pointer that sparked the run as 15 of North Florida’s points came from beyond the arc, including nine by Smith.
• Smith scored a game-high 32 points on 10 of 18 shooting, including 8 of 12 from behind the arc, to pace North Florida. His eight three-pointers were a season-high against Kennesaw State, and the 11 three-pointers by the Ospreys were the most by an opponent this year.
• Travis Wallace contributed 26 points while Beau Beech finished with 10, including a key three-pointer during North Florida’s second-half run.
• For the second consecutive game, Cummings led the Owls in scoring with 28 points, while freshman forward Nigel Pruitt scored a career-high tying 10 points. Cummings’ performance came on the heels of playing a career-high 54 minutes at Jacksonville on Thursday.
MARKEITH CUMMINGS NAMED A-SUN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State’s all-time leading scorer, has been named the Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday.
• Cummings, who was honored as A-Sun Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career, averaged 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two games at Jacksonville and North Florida last week. The senior from Birmingham, Ala., shot 44.5 percent (23-for-47) from the field and made 9 of 12 (75.0 percent) shots from the foul line.
• Cummings is the second Owls player to be honored as A-Sun Player of the Week this season, joining senior Aaron Anderson, who was recognized on Nov. 13.
MARKEITH CUMMINGS MOVING UP A-SUN CONFERENCE’S TOP-10 SCORING LIST:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings totaled 57 points in two games against Jacksonville and North Florida over the weekend to increase his career total to 1,901 and move into 10th place on the Atlantic Sun Conference’s all-time scoring list. His two points shy of moving into ninth place and surpassing Steve Barker (1978-82) of Samford who concluded his career with 1,902 points.
CUMMINGS APPROACHING 2,000 CAREER POINTS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State’s all-time career scoring leader with 1,901 points, is 99 points away from 2,000 career points and becoming just the sixth player in Atlantic Sun Conference history to reach the 2,000-point plateau. Willie Jackson (1980-84), who played at Centenary, is the A-Sun’s all-time leading scorer with 2,535 career points.
MORE CUMMINGS
• Markeith Cummings leads the Atlantic Sun Conference and is 36th in the country in scoring, averaging 18.6 points. He also leads the league in scoring during conference playing, contributing 21.6 points a contest over his last five games.
A DAY FOR THE RECORD BOOKS:
• In addition to handing second-year head coach Lewis Preston his first Atlantic Sun Conference victory, Kennesaw State established several program records during the Owls’ 83-75 win over Mercer. The list includes:
• The Owls set program single-game records for free throws made (38) and free throws attempted (55).
• Kennesaw State went 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) to established to establish a school-record three-point percentage mark
OWLS AMONG A-SUN CONFERENCE LEADERS
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings currently leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring with 18.6 points per game.
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson ranks third in the A-Sun in rebounding (7.6) and is sixth in field goal percentage (54.7).
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love leads the A-Sun in minutes played (37.4) and is fourth in assists (3.2) and sixth in steals (1.6).
• Freshman guard Myles Hamilton is tied for third in the A-Sun with 1.7 steals a contest.
• Delbert Love’s career-high 32 points against Mercer on Saturday (Jan. 5) ranks as the second-highest single-game point total this season, ranking behind only North Florida’s Parker Smith who scored 33 at Stetson on Saturday (Jan.5).
• Aaron Anderson ranks second among all active A-Sun players with 603 career rebounds. Jacksonville’s Glenn Powell is the current active leader with 617 rebounds.
FRESHMEN SEE SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME:
• The Kennesaw State roster includes five freshmen and all making contributions. Guards Myles Hamilton and Yonel Brown are both averaging over 20 minutes a contest. Hamilton is averaging 23.9 minutes a game while Brown is playing 22.7 minutes a contest.
KENNESAW STATE SIGNS JONES DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD:
• Continuing to build for the future, head coach Lewis Preston signed local product Jordan Jones to a national letter-of-intent earlier this week.
• Jones is a 6-8, 205-pound combo forward who will play his senior season at nearby Saint Francis High in Alpharetta. He averaged 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks a game while helping Furtah Prep (Acworth, Ga.) to an undefeated regular season.
• Jones earned first team All-Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) honors and was selected to play in the Under Armour Grind Session in Atlanta last June. The event features many of the top high school prospects in the region and focusses on skill development and concludes with games.
NATE RUCKER ADDED TO ROSTER
• Junior forward Nate Rucker (Memphis Tenn. / Southwest Tennessee CC) joined the Kennesaw State roster on Dec. 17 and is enrolled in classes for the spring semester. A 6-6, 240-forward, Rucker began his collegiate career at Northern Illinois before playing at Southwest Tennessee Community College last season. During his freshman season, Rucker appeared in 30 games, starting 29, and averaged 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds a contest.
• Rucker shot a team-high 53.7 percent from the field and scored in double figures 12 times. He also produced two double-digit rebounding games.
• Rucker will practice with the Owls for the remainder of the season and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2013-14 campaign. He will be eligible to play at the conclusion of the fall semester in December.
EIGHT NEWCOMERS JOIN ROSTER FOR 2012-13:
• Second-year head coach Lewis Preston has added eight newcomers to the program in 2012-13.
• The group includes freshmen Yonel Brown (Lawrenceville, Ga. / Berkmar HS), Myles Hamilton (Cleveland, Ohio / St. Edward HS), Cole Hobbs (Atlanta, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian School), Jordan Montgomery (Orlando, Fla. / Orlando Christian Prep), Bernard Morena (Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Auburn) and Nigel Pruitt (Potomac, Md. / Bullis School)
• Junior Kris Drees (Cumming, Ga. / West Forsyth HS) joined the team this fall after making the club as a walk-on, while sophomore Willy Kouassi (Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Auburn) is a highly-regarded transfer.
RECRUITING WINNERS:
• The duo of Cole Hobbs and Jordan Montgomery combined to help their high school teams claim four state titles and one runner-up finish.
• Hobbs played a key role in helping Greater Atlanta Christian School to the 2011 Georgia state title
•Montgomery sparked his Orlando Christian Prep squad to three Florida state titles, and a runner-up finish in 2011.
KENNESAW STATE ROSTER REVIEW:
• Kennesaw State returns five letter winners from last year’s club that posted a 3-28 overall record. The list of returnees includes seniors Aaron Anderson, Markeith Cummings, juniors Brandon Dawson and Andrew Osemhen (Loganville, Ga. / Grayson HS) and sophomore Delbert Love.
• The trio of Cummings, Anderson and Love accounted for 58.5 percent of Kennesaw State’s points during the 2011-12 season.
• Kennesaw State’s roster includes two seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen.
• The Owls 13-man roster entered the season with a combined 11 years of Division I collegiate experience, an average of 0.85 years per player. It ranks as the sixth-youngest team in the country.
PRESEASON HONORS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, a three-time second team all-conference selection, was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason all-conference team.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings is Kennesaw State’s all-time scoring leader with 1,901 points.
• Cummings also ranks second all-time in rebounds (585) since Kennesaw State became a Division I program in 2005.
• Cummings is the all-time KSU leader in free throws made (482) and free throws attempted (704).
• Cummings also ranks No. 2 in points-per-game (17.3), field goals made (669) and field goal attempts (1,463).
• Cummings holds the top two single season marks for free throws made (158 in 2010-11 and 134 in 2009-10).
• Senior Aaron Anderson holds the KSU Division I school career field goal percentage record of 53.7 percent (275-512).
• Anderson is first in the KSU Division I era with 603 rebounds and rebounds-per-game (7.6).
A LOOK AT THE 2012-13 SCHEDULE:
• The Kennesaw State schedule includes three teams that are receiving preseason national attention. Notre Dame began the year ranked No. 22 by the Associated Press and No. 23 in the
USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Both Tennessee and Pittsburgh are receiving votes in the Associated Press and
USA Today Coaches polls.
• The Owls’ schedule includes five teams (Tennessee, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Mercer, USC Upstate) that advanced to postseason play during the 2011-12 season.
• Notre Dame reached the NCAA Tournament, while Tennessee advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament, and Pittsburgh won the College Basketball Invitational Tournament.
• A-Sun Conference rivals Mercer and USC Upstate participated in the Collegeinsider.com Tournament, with the Mercer Bears capturing the title.
A NEW-LOOK A-SUN CONFERENCE:
• The Atlantic Sun Conference will have a new look to it in 2012-13. Belmont, who has captured the last two conference titles, and five of the last seven, left the league to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
• Northern Kentucky, a consistent postseason participant at the NCAA Division II level and dominant force in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, begins its first year in Division I and as a member of the A-Sun Conference.
2011-12 YEAR IN REVIEW:
• The 2011-12 season marked a challenging year for first-year head coach Lewis Preston and the Owls as Kennesaw State posted a 3-28 overall record and went 0-18 in A-Sun Conference play.
• The Owls recorded a 65-59 victory at Chattanooga on Nov. 18, 2011, to reward Preston with his first collegiate win.
•Junior forward Markeith Cummings was a second team A-Sun all-conference selection and rookie guard Delbert Love was a unanimous selection to the conference’s all-freshman team.
• Junior forward Markeith Cummings led the Owls in scoring and ranked second in the A-Sun after averaging 15.4 points a game. Cummings produced 25 double-digit scoring games and led the team in scoring 12 times.
•Junior forward Aaron Anderson led the A-Sun in rebounding after averaging 9.0 rebounds a game and contributed 8.9 points a contest. He scored in double-digits 15 times, had 14 double-digit rebounding games, and his 280 rebounds established an Owls’ Division I era single-season record.
• Freshman Delbert Love made an immediate in his first season with the Owls as he averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals a contest. He started all 31 games and led all A-Sun Conference freshmen in scoring while averaging a team-high 36.5 minutes a game.
• Kennesaw State lost seven games by four points or less, including five of its last six.
PROGRAM HISTORY:
• The 2012-13 season marks the 28th year of basketball at Kennesaw State. The 1985-86 campaign marked the first season of Owls basketball and the team posted a 7-21 overall record, including a 6-12 mark in the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while competing as an NAIA member.
• Kennesaw State played nine seasons as an NAIA member, compiled a 146-143 (.505) all-time record and produced six winning seasons.
• Kennesaw State moved to the NCAA Division II level for the 1994-95 season and accumulated a 198-124 (.615) overall record in 11 years.
• Head Coach Tony Ingle led the Owls to their lone national championship in 2004 after the team compiled a program-best 35-4 (.897) record. Kennesaw State defeated Southern Indiana, 84-59, in the national championship game on March 27, 2004 in Bakersfield, Calif.
• Kennesaw State moved to the Division I level for the 2005-06 season and has compiled a 66-227 (.225) record in seven seasons. The Owls’ best year at the D-I level was the 2006-07 season when the club posted a 13-18 (.419) mark.
• Kennesaw State’s signature Division I win was an 80-63 victory over Georgia Tech before a KSU Convocation Center record-crowd of 4,784 on Nov. 15, 2011.
• Lewis Preston was named the fourth head coach in program history on April 16, 2011.
WHAT’S NEW?
• This past summer, the Kennesaw State Department of Athletics, as part of an overall re-branding initiative, signed a multi-year contract to have its 17 intercollegiate athletics teams outfitted in Adidas apparel and footwear.
• Kennesaw State Athletics also introduced a whole new family of logos that appear on team apparel, facilities and a re-designed www.ksuowls.com athletics website.
• The KSU Convocation Center also has a refurbished floor, sparkling new video board with sponsorship signage on the south end, a ribbon board on the north side under the hospitality suite, a new LED scorer’s table and media tables highlight the atmospheric changes to the seven-year old facility.
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY:
• Kennesaw State University is the third-largest university in Georgia, offering more than 80 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including doctorates in education, business and nursing and a new Ph.D in international conflict management. A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 24,600 from 130 countries.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
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