KENNESAW STATE (9-2) VS XAVIER (8-3)
GAME 12 | DECEMBER 22 | 12 P.M. ET
KENNESAW, Ga. | KSU CONVOCATION CENTER (4,800)
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | ESPN3 | PROMOTIONS | TICKETS | TWITTER
 
THE GAME:
The Kennesaw State women's basketball team has a quick turnaround when it faces its second Big East opponent of the season in Xavier at the KSU Convocation Center on Monday, Dec. 22. The ESPN3-featured broadcast is set to tip at 12 p.m. ET.
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of Monday's game.
ESPN3: ESPN3 will have the live broadcast of Monday's game with Nathan McCreay and Theresa Gernatt on the call.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State women's basketball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsWBB to receive updates throughout the game.
 
THE OPPONENT:
Xavier
The Musketeers enter Monday's match-up with an 8-3 record following a 62-38 home win over Lipscomb on Saturday and are one a three-game winning streak. The Musketeers have tied their win total from a year ago that saw the 2013-14 campaign end on a 13-game losing streak due to an injury plagued roster. Xavier had 13 steals in the win over Lipscomb, its fifth game of the year with 10 or more steals. Briana Glover paces the Musketeers with 12. 1 points and is shooting at a 40.0 percent clip from the three-point line. Xavier is 6-0 on the year when outrebounding its opponents and rank fourth in the conference in rebounding margin (+ 0.7), led by Leah Schaefer's team-leading 5.4 rebounds per game. Schaefer also leads the team with 27 assists on the year.
 
THE SERIES:
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Owls and the Musketeers. This will be the second Big East opponent the Owls have faced this season after dropping a hard-fought 77-74 decision at Seton Hall on Nov. 26 in South Orange, N.J.
 
All-Time Record: Series tied, 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting
 
LAST TIME OUT:
With ice water in her veins, junior Karly Frye buried a three-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation to propel the Kennesaw State women's basketball to a 50-47 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday (Dec. 20) afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center. Sophomore Deandrea Sawyers led all scorers with 18 points for the Owls, while senior Kristina Wells poured in 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds. Junior Jasmine McAllister added her Atlantic Sun Conference-leading eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high 16 rebounds.
 
NEXT UP:
The Owls will break for the Christmas holiday, before returning to action on Monday, Dec. 29 for a road contest against Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Ala. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET in T.M. Elmore Gymnasium.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Best Start in over a Decade…
With nine wins in the first 11 games, the Owls are off to their best start in the Division I era and the best since the 2000-01 season when KSU opened its campaign with 13 wins in its first 15 contests.
 
Six-Game Win Streak
With its win on Saturday, KSU has won six-consecutive games for the first time in the Division I era and first time since the 2001-02 season, when the Owls put together an eight-game winning streak with wins over Clayton State, USC Spartanburg, Lander, Armstrong Atlantic, Columbus State, Francis Marion, Augusta State and GC&SU.
 
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.
 
Top Four
The Owls are the only team in the league that has two players in the top four in the scoring (McAllister, Sawyers) and rebounding (McAllister, senior Kristina Wells).
 
A-Sun Leader in Scoring and Rebounding
McAllister leads in both scoring and rebounding, pacing the A-Sun with 15.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while also ranking third in the conference with a 50.0 percent clip from the field.
 
McAllister on the Boards
McAllister's league-leading 11.6 boards ranks 12th in the NCAA and she is also leading the A-Sun and ranks eighth in the nation with 4.9 offensive boards per game. On the season, she has pulled down 128 rebounds, with 54 of those coming on the offensive end of the court. 
 
Double-Doubles
McAllister has also registered eight double-doubles on the season, which leads the A-Sun and ranks third in the NCAA.
 
Owls in Tops of A-Sun, Part I
Along with McAllister, the Owls have four players in the top-23 in scoring in the A-Sun. Joining the junior are Sawyers (15.5 ppg, second), Wells (12.3 ppg, 15th) and redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely (9.3 ppg, 23rd).
 
Owls in Tops of A-Sun, Part II
The quartet also ranks in the top-17 in the conference in rebounding with McAllister leading the way, followed by Wells (8.6 rpg, fourth), Mosely (5.5 rpg, 12th) and Sawyers (4.6 rpg, 17th). 
 
Frye Dishing out the Rock
Junior Karly Frye is averaging 3.8 assists per game, ranking her second in the conference and has dished out 42 helpers on the year. Wells adds 2.9 assists per game to sit ninth in the league and has 32 helpers on the year.
 
Wells Doing it All
Wells has been doing it all for the Owls, as the Douglasville, Ga., native ranks in the top 16 in several statistical categories, including minutes played (third), rebounding (fourth), defensive rebounds (fourth), free throw percentage (fifth), steals (sixth), offensive rebounds (t-sixth), blocks (seventh), assists (ninth), field goal percentage (13th) and scoring (16th).
 
Sawyers from Three
Sawyers has connected on 21 three-pointers this season to lead the Owls and rank fourth in the conference, while averaging two treys per contest.
 
Wells from the Charity Stripe
Wells has led the Owls from the charity stripe and ranks fifth in the conference and 74th in the nation with an 84.6 percentage from the free throw line, going 44-of-52 through 11 games this season. She opened the season with 16-straight free throws, before missing her first attempt at Georgia Southern on Nov. 22.
 
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.