GAME NO. 26
KENNESAW STATE (3-22, 2-11) at USC UPSTATE (13-14, 7-7)
DATE: Feb. 16
TIME: 2:00 p.m. (ET)
SITE: G.B. Hodge Center (818)
LOCATION: Spartanburg, S.C.
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3
LIVE AUDIO; KSUOwls.com
LIVE STATS: uscspartans.com
SERIES RECORD: USC Upstate leads, 18-9
LAST MEETING: Jan. 17, 2013; Upstate, 66-54
LAST KSU WIN: Jan. 3, 2011; 78-71
KENNESAW STATE NOTES
GAME TIME:
• The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team two-game road trip when it travels to Spartanburg, S.C., to take on USC Upstate at the G.B. Hodge Center on Saturday (Feb. 14) beginning at 2 p.m. (ET).
• Brandon Scardigli will provide a live audio broadcast of the game at KSUOwls.com and live video will be available on ESPN3.com with Matt Stewart and Sonny Smith describing 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 (3-22, 2-11) is coming off a 79-70 loss at East Tennessee State on Thursday (Feb. 14).
• USC Upstate is currently 13-14 overall and 7-7 in the A-Sun. The Spartans have lost four in a row and are coming off a 70-59 loss to Mercer on Thursday (Feb. 14).
• 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.
USC UPSTATE STATE SERIES HISTORY:
• Saturday’s contest marks the 28th all-time meeting between Kennesaw State and USC Upstate in a series that backs to 1993 and the Spartans hold an 18-9 advantage. USC Upstate has won four straight in the series, including a 66-54 victory on Jan. 17 at the KSU Convocation Center. The Owls’ last win in the series was a 78-71 victory Jan. 3, 2011 in Kennesaw.
KENNESAW STATE-USC UPSTATE GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS:
DATE WINNING TEAM H/A/N 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
1/17/13 USC Upstate H 66-54
*PBC Tournament Quarterfinals; Milledgeville, Ga.
LAST MEETING:
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love surpassed 600 career points after scoring a team-high 15 points and senior forward Markeith Cummings added 10, but it was not enough as Kennesaw State fell 66-54 to visiting USC Upstate in an Atlantic Sun Conference game Thursday at the KSU Convocation Center.
• The Owls (2-16, 1-5) trailed from the outset and made a second-half run to trim a 20-point deficit down to nine but could not complete the comeback as they were unable to take advantage of their free throw opportunities.
• Kennesaw State went 8-for-21 from the free throw line in the second half and finished the game 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) from the charity stripe while being outrebounded 41-23 for the game.
• Those two factors and a double-double by junior forward Torrey Craig, who scored a game-high 17 points and collected 10 rebounds, allowed the Spartans (9-9-, 3-2) to hold on for the victory.
• USC Upstate led the entire game, held a 32-23 halftime lead, and opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take a 42-23 lead less than three minutes into the period.
• However, the Owls went on a 21-9 run over the next 10 minutes to cut the deficit to 53-44 with 7:04 remaining. But the Spartans answered with an 11-4 run over the next five minutes to build their lead back up to 16 points at 64-48 with 2:21 to play.
A LOOK AT USC UPSTATE:
• USC Upstate is currently 13-14 overall and 7-7 in the A-Sun. The Spartans have lost four in a row and are coming off a 70-59 loss to Mercer on Thursday (Feb. 14).
• USC Upstate has the A-Sun’s leading scorer in junior forward Torrey Craig who is averaging 16.9 points a contest. His 6.6 rebounds a game rank sixth in the conference. Craig is one of three Spartans scoring in double figures as sophomore guard Ty Greene and junior forward Ricardo Glenn are averaging 12.6 and 10.0 points a game, respectively.
• Head coach Eddie Payne is in his 11th season leading the USC Upstate program and has compiled an overall record to date of 154-173 (.471). In 28 years as a collegiate head coach, Payne has posted an overall coaching mark to date of 414-406 (.505).
EAST TENNESSE STATE RECAP:
• Even with a 42-percent shooting effort from the field, the Kennesaw State men’s basketball team couldn’t match East Tennessee State as the Owls took a 79-70 Atlantic Sun Conference loss on Thursday night.
• KSU sophomore
Delbert Love (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward HS) had the memorable night in the stat sheet, going 8-of-16 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point land for 22 points, four assists and a pair of steals as the Owls fall to 3-22 on the year and 2-11 in the A-Sun.
• The Owls never led in the ballgame but did manage to dwindle a 17-point ETSU (9-18, 7-7 A-Sun) lead down to just four points with 12:38 remaining in the second half with a 9-1 run. Love hit the big three from the wing to start the Owl rally before senior
Markeith Cummings (Birmingham, Ala./Beach HS) capped it off with a put-back two-hand slam to make it 51-47 Buccaneers.
• But the Owl run was followed by a 13-0 stretch from the home team over the next two minutes to put ETSU back up 59-47 with 10:05 on the clock. Love cut it back to a single-digit lead for ETSU with another triple to make it 64-55 and freshman
Nigel Pruitt (Potomac, Md./Bullis School) brought the Owls within seven at 68-61, but ETSU responded with a three of its own to go back up by 10 seconds later.
• Love again put the KSU within seven with another triple, but it was too little too late as ETSU hit a pair of free throws to secure the win.
DELBERT LOVE NEARING 700 CAREER POINTS:
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love scored 15 points against USC Upstate on Thursday (Jan. 17) to surpass 600 career points. With 681 points, the Cleveland, Ohio resident ranks 10th on Kennesaw State’s all-time career scoring list during the Division I era and is 19 points shy of reaching the 700-point plateau. In 56 games, Love is averaging 12.2 points a game.
AARON ANDERSON APPROACHING 700-700 CLUB:
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson, who is in his third season at Kennesaw State, surpassed the 700-point plateau career after scoring eight points against North Florida on Thursday (Feb. 7). With 720 points, the Tucson, Ariz. native ranks eighth on the Owls’ all-time Division I scoring list.
• The senior forward also eight rebounds shy of reaching 700 rebounds for his career. He currently has 692 and is 15 boards shy of moving into a tied for second place on the program’s all-time rebounding list. The all-time Division I rebounding record is 734 achieved by Isreal Brown (1989-93). Anderson currently ranks as the Owls’ all-time Division I rebounder.
SEEING DOUBLE:
• Senior forward Anderson has produced nine double-doubles this season, and ranks first among Atlantic Sun Conference active players with 23 career double-doubles. He has totaled 12 double-digit rebounding games, including seven in a row.
A-SUN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State’s all-time leading scorer, was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week (Jan. 15) for the fourth time of his career after averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two games at Jacksonville and North Florida on Jan. 10 and 12, respectively.
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson received the recognition for the first time in his career on Nov. 13 after a double-double in the opening two games of the season as he contributed 14.0 points and 11.5 rebounds a contest while shooting 70.6 percent from the field during road games at Tennessee (Nov. 9) and South Carolina State (Nov. 12).
MARKEITH CUMMINGS MOVING UP A-SUN CONFERENCE’S TOP-10 SCORING LIST:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings totaled 11 points versus East Tennessee State on Thursday (Feb. 14) to increase his career total to 1,972. He currently ranks eighth on the Atlantic Sun Conference’s all-time scoring list.
CUMMINGS APPROACHING 2,000 CAREER POINTS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State’s all-time career scoring leader with 1,972 points, is 28 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.
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 on Jan. 5. 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 ranks second in the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring with 16.8 points a game.
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson ranks first in the A-Sun in rebounding (8.8) and is eighth in field goal percentage (52.2).
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love leads the A-Sun in minutes played (36.2) and is eighth in assists (2.9) and is tied for seventh in steals (1.4).
• Freshman guard Myles Hamilton also is tied for fourth in the A-Sun with 1.4 steals a contest.
• Delbert Love’s career-high 32 points against Mercer on Jan. 5 ties for 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 No. 1 on the A-Sun active rebounding list with 692 career rebounds. Jacksonville’s Glenn Powell began the week with 658 rebounds.
FRESHMEN SEE SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME:
• The Kennesaw State roster includes four freshmen and all making contributions. Guards Myles Hamilton and Yonel Brown are both averaging over 20 minutes a contest. Hamilton is averaging 23.3 minutes a game while Brown is playing 23.6 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.
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 1,972 points.
• Cummings also ranks second all-time in rebounds (603) since Kennesaw State became a Division I program in 2005.
• Cummings is the all-time KSU leader in free throws made (494) and free throws attempted (727).
• Cummings also ranks No. 2 in points-per-game (17.0), and is first in field goals made (697) and field goal attempts (1,530).
• 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 53.0 percent (305-575).
• Anderson is first in the KSU Division I era with 692 rebounds and rebounds-per-game (8.0).
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 with 36.5 mpg.
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 is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
