GAME NO. 30
KENNESAW STATE (3-26, 2-15) at FLORIDA GULF COAST (20-10, 12-5)
DATE: Mar. 2, 2013
TIME: 5:15 p.m. (ET)
SITE: .Alico Arena (4,500)
LOCATION: Fort Myers, Fla.
LIVE VIDEO: A-Sun TV
LIVE AUDIO: KSUOwls.com
LIVE STATS: fgcuathletics.com
SERIES RECORD: KSU leads, 6-5
LAST MEETING: Dec. 31, 2012; FGCU, 68-59
LAST KSU WIN: Feb. 10, 2011; KSU, 69-68
KENNESAW STATE NOTES
GAME TIME:
• The Kennesaw State men’s basketball team concludes its 2012-13 regular season when it travels to Fort Myers, Fla., to take on Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday (Mar. 2) at Alico Arena beginning at 5:15 p.m. (ET).
• The game will be streamed live on the Internet through A-Sun TV. A live audio broadcast also will be available at KSUOwls.com with Brandon Scardigli calling the action.
• The Owls are in their eighth year as a member of the A-Sun Conference after transitioning to Division I in 2005.
• Kennesaw State (3-26, 2-15) is coming off a 91-77 road loss to Stetson on Thursday (Feb. 28).
• Florida Gulf Coast is currently 20-10 overall and in second place in the A-Sun Conference with a 12-5 record. The Eagles, who are a game behind conference-leader Mercer, snapped a two-game losing skid on Thursday (Feb. 28) following a 60-57 win over the Bears.
• 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.
FLORIDA GULF COAST SERIES HISTORY:
• Saturday’s contest marks the 12th all-time meeting between Kennesaw State and Florida Gulf Coast in a series that backs to 2008 and the Owls hold an 6-5 advantage. The Eagles have won three straight in the series, including a 68-59 victory on Dec. 31 at the KSU Convocation Center. Kennesaw State last posted a victory on Feb. 10, 2011, when it registered a 69-68 win on its home floor.
LAST MEETING:
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson recorded a double-double, junior forward Brandon Dawson equaled a career-high with 12 points and Kennesaw State had a season-high four players score in double figures.
• However, visiting Florida Gulf Coast hit two key three-pointers down the stretch to rally from a second-half deficit and record a 68-59 victory over the Owls in both team’s Atlantic Sun Conference opener Monday at the KSU Convocation Center.
• Senior guard Sherwood Brown scored a game-high 19 points, including a three-point basket with 6:18 remaining that gave the Eagles (9-5, 1-0) a 54-50 lead. Brown’s basket followed a three-pointer by sophomore guard Bernard Thompson that gave Florida Gulf Coast its first lead since the final two minutes of the first half.
• Thompson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists, while fellow backcourt mate Brett Comer contributed 11 points and a game-high tying five assists.
• Kennesaw State (1-12, 0-1) was led by sophomore guard Delbert Love, who scored a season-high tying 16 points and added five assists. Senior forward Markeith Cummings chipped in 11 points while Anderson tallied 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
• Dawson, who connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field and scored eight of his 12 points in the first half, helped spark a run that erased an early 16-point deficit and gave the Owls a 36-35 halftime lead. After trailing 23-7 with 10:10 remaining in the half, Kennesaw State outscored the Eagles 29-13 over the final 10 minutes.
• Dawson and Cummings scored six points apiece to key the comeback and help Kennesaw State record its highest first-half point total of the season.
• The Owls took that momentum into the second half and built their biggest lead of the game at 44-39 following a basket by Cummings with 15:37 remaining. Kennesaw State maintained that lead until Thompson’s three-pointer with just less than seven minutes to play.
A LOOK AT FLORIDA GULF COAST:
• Florida Gulf Coast is currently 20-10 overall and in second place in the A-Sun Conference with a 12-5 record. The Eagles, who are a game behind conference-leader Mercer, snapped a two-game losing skid on Thursday (Feb. 28) following a 60-57 win over the Bears.
• Senior forward Sherwood Brown is averaging 15.4 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Sophomore Bernard Thompson and junior forward Chase Fieler also are scoring in double figures, averaging 14.2 points and 11.8, respectively.
• Head coach Andy Enfield is in his second season leading the Florida Gulf Coast program and has compiled an overall record to date of 35-27 (.564). Enfield guided the Eagles to a 15-17 overall record in his first season at the helm a year ago.
STETSON RECAP:
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love (Cleveland, OH / St. Edward HS) scored a team-high 22 points and senior forward Aaron Anderson (Tucson, Ariz. / Central Arizona College) poured in a season-best 17 points to lead Kennesaw State during a 91-77 setback to Stetson Thursday at the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla.
• The Owls (3-26, 2-15) also received 13 points from senior forward Markeith Cummings (Birmingham, Ala. / Beach HS). Despite the effort of its top three leading scorers, Kennesaw State was unable to overcome the three-point shooting of the Hatters (14-14, 11-6).
• Stetson made 12 of 17 three-pointers (70.6 percent) – a season-high against the Owls – and 25 of 32 free throws that proved decisive. Kennesaw State also was effective beyond the arc, tying a season-high with nine treys, but was just 6-for-8 from the foul line.
• The Hatters had five players finish in double figures and were led by junior guard Aaron Graham who came off the bench to score a game-high 24 points helping Stetson record a 35-9 advantage in bench scoring.
• Kennesaw State held an 11-8 lead four minutes into the game before the Hatters went on a 16-0 run that gave Stetson a 24-11 lead with 9:42 remaining in the half.
• After trailing 48-35 at halftime, the Owls rallied in the second half, cutting the deficit to two points at 55-53 following a three-point basket by Love with 12:14 remaining. However, the Hatters quickly answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Graham and Chris Perez, increasing their advantage to eight points and seizing control of the game.
CUMMINGS REACHES 2,000 CAREER POINTS:
• Senior forward Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State’s all-time career scoring leader with 2,039 points became just the sixth player in A-Sun Conference history to reach the 2,000-point plateau following a 28-point effort at USC Upstate on Saturday (Feb. 16). He is four points shy of tying East Tennessee State’s Courtney Pigram (2005-09) for fourth place on the conference’s all-time career scoring list. Willie Jackson (1980-84), who played at Centenary, is the A-Sun’s all-time leading scorer with 2,535 career points.
A-SUN CONFERENCE 2,000-POINT CLUB:
1. Willie Jackson (Centenary; 1980-84) - 2,535
2. James Florence (Mercer; 2006-10) - 2,287
3. Jonathan Rodriguez (Campbell; 2006-10) - 2,153
4. Courtney Pigram (ETSU, 2005-09) - 2,043
5. Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw State, 2009-Pres.) - 2,039
6. Adam Hodzic (Lipscomb, 2007-11) - 2,002
DELBERT LOVE SCORES 700th CAREER POINT:
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love scored 11 points against Lipscomb on Saturday (Feb. 23) to surpass 700 career points. With 733 points, the Cleveland, Ohio resident ranks ninth on Kennesaw State’s all-time career scoring list during the Division I era. In 60 games, Love is averaging 12.2 points a game.
AARON ANDERSON JOINS 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 757 points, the Tucson, Ariz. native ranks eighth on the Owls’ all-time Division I scoring list.
• The senior forward joined the 700-700 club after collecting seven rebounds against Northern Kentucky on Feb. 21. He currently has 721 career boards to rank second on the program’s all-time rebounding list. Anderson is 13 rebounds shy of tying Israel Brown (1989-93) for first place.
SEEING DOUBLE:
• Senior forward Anderson has produced 10 double-doubles this season, and ranks first among Atlantic Sun Conference active players with 24 career double-doubles. He has totaled 13 double-digit rebounding games this season.
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).
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 ranks second on the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring with 16.8 points a game.
• Senior forward Aaron Anderson ranks first in the A-Sun in rebounding (8.6) and is seventh in field goal percentage (51.9).
• Sophomore guard Delbert Love is second in the A-Sun in minutes played (35.8), tied for eighth in assists (2.9) and tied for seventh in steals (1.4).
• Aaron Anderson ranks No. 1 on the A-Sun active rebounding list with 721 career 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 23.0 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 2,039 points.
• Cummings also ranks second all-time in rebounds (623) since Kennesaw State became a Division I program in 2005.
• Cummings is the all-time KSU leader in free throws made (511) and free throws attempted (749).
• Cummings also ranks No. 2 in points-per-game (17.0), and is first in field goals made (720) and field goal attempts (1,583).
• 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 52.9 percent (321-607).
• Anderson is first in the KSU Division I era with 721 rebounds and rebounds-per-game (7.9).
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 University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
