KENNESAW STATE (7-2) AT MERCER (6-3)
GAME 10 | DECEMBER 16 | 5 P.M. ET
MACON, Ga. | HAWKINS ARENA (3,200)
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | ESPN3 | TWITTER
 
THE GAME:
The Kennesaw State women's basketball team travels to Macon, Ga., for a midweek clash with in-state rival Mercer on Tuesday, Dec. 16 as the Owls look for their fifth-straight in an ESPN-broadcasted contest at 5 p.m. ET in Hawkins Arena.
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of Tuesday's game.
ESPN3: ESPN3 will have the live broadcast of Tuesday's game.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State women's basketball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsWBB to receive updates throughout the game.
 
THE OPPONENT:
Mercer
The Bears enter Tuesday's midweek clash with a 6-3 record and have won two-straight, including a 46-39 victory over SEC-foe Alabama in Tuscaloosa in the Bears' previous outing last Sunday. Mercer is 3-1 at home in Macon. Precious Bridges leads both Mercer and the Southern Conference with 22.3 points per game, which is bolstered by six 20-point games this season. Bridges is also ranked 13th nationally in points per game. Joining her in double digits is Kahlia Lawrence with 13.1 points per game, while Teanna Robinson is pulling down 7.2 rebounds per contest for the Bears. Mercer is averaging 44.1 boards per contest, including 16.6 rebounds on the offensive side of the court.
 
THE SERIES:
This will be the 18th meeting between the Owls and the Bears, with the all-time series tied at 9-9. Mercer took the two teams' last meeting with a 74-58 win a season ago on March 1, 2014 in Kennesaw. Former Owl Gratia Brooks led the way for the Owls with 11 points and a 5-of-9 performance from the field, while senior Bria Young and freshman Deandrea Sawyers also hit double figures with 10 each in the game. Senior Kristina Wells also became the third player in the KSU record books and the 103rd all-time in the Atlantic Sun Conference to reach the 1,000 point plateau after putting in a pair of free throws with 3:45 left in the first half and finished the game with seven points.
 
All-Time Record: Series tied, 9-9
Last Meeting: Mercer won, 74-58, on Mar. 1, 2014 in Kennesaw, Ga.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Kennesaw State women's basketball team earned its fourth-consecutive victory on Saturday (Dec. 13) as junior Jasmine McAllister finished a layup with just two seconds remaining in overtime to send the Owls to a thrilling 67-65 win over Jacksonville State in the KSU Convocation Center. Redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely led the Owls with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five assists, while junior Jasmine McAllister registered her Atlantic Sun Conference-leading sixth double-double of the season with 17 points, all of which came in the second half, to go with 10 boards, three assists and two steals.
 
NEXT UP:
The Owls return to the KSU Convocation Center for a 12 p.m. ET contest against Gardner Webb on Saturday, Dec. 20.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Best Start in a Decade
With seven wins in the first nine games, the Owls are off to their best start in the Division I era and the best since the 2004-05 season when KSU also opened its campaign with seven wins in its first nine contests.
 
Four-Game Winning Streak
With its win on Saturday, KSU has won four-consecutive games for the first time since the 2011-12 season, when the Owls put together a four-game winning streak from Feb. 2-16 and notched wins over USC Upstate, East Tennessee State, Mercer and Jacksonville.
 
Free Throw Percentage
The Owls rank second the Atlantic Sun Conference and 53rd nationally with a 73.2 free throw percentage and are averaging 12.8 free throws made per contest, compared to their opponents with 9.6 freebies made per game.
 
Owls from the Field
KSU is also shooting it well from the field and have connected on 41.8 percent of its shots, which sits third in the conference and own the third-best scoring margin in the league at +2.8.
 
A-Sun Newcomer of the Week
Junior Jasmine McAllister collected her third Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week accolade on Monday after scoring the winning-layup in the Owls' overtime victory against Jacksonville State on Saturday, while also registering her sixth double-double of the season with 17 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), all of which came after halftime, to go with 10 boards, three assists and two steals.
 
A-Sun Weekly Honors
For the fourth-consecutive week, the Owls took home A-Sun Conference weekly honors after sophomore Deandrea Sawyers earned her first-career Player of the Week on Dec. 8 and McAllister earned back-to-back Newcomer of the Week accolades the two weeks prior.
 
McAllister Leading the Way
McAllister is leading the league in both scoring and rebounding with 16.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, with her 11.2 boards per contest also ranking 19th in the nation.
 
Double-Doubles
McAllister has registered six double-doubles on the season, which leads the A-Sun and ranks sixth in the NCAA.
 
Top Owl Scorers
Along with McAllister, the Owls have four players in the top 22 in scoring in the A-Sun. Joining the junior are Sawyers (14.9 ppg, fourth), senior Kristina Wells (11.1 ppg, 18th) and redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely (9.6ppg, 22nd).
 
Top Owl Rebounders
The quartet also ranks in the top-16 in the conference in rebounding with McAllister leading the way, followed by Wells (8.0rpg, sixth), Mosely (5.6 rpg, 11th) and Sawyers (4.9 rpg, 16th).  
 
McAllister from the Field
McAllister leads the conference and ranks 68th in the nation with a 52.7 field goal percentage, connecting on 59-of-112 field goals.
 
Frye Dishing the Ball
Junior Karly Frye is averaging 3.9 assists per game, ranking her second in the conference and has dished out 35 helpers on the year. Wells adds 2.8 assists per game to sit ninth in the league and has 25 helpers on the year.
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsWBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.