Monday, December 7
7:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State vs. Thomas
Links: Live Stats | ESPN3 | Game Notes | Tickets
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
 
Promotions
It's Monday Madness at Kennesaw State for the men's basketball game against Thomas.  Fans can take advantage of the best deals all season with buy one, get one free tickets and $1 hotdogs.  Tickets may be purchased in advance online or by calling 470-578-OWLS.
 
Scouting Thomas
The Night Hawks are off to a 5-5 start this season picking up key victories over Point, Edward Waters, Middle Georgia State, and Brewton-Parker (twice).
 
Thomas has three players averaging double figures in scoring each game.  Offensively, Thomas is led by junior guard Adonai Rogers. Rogers is averaging 13.6 points per game, shooting 33.1-percent from the field while sophomore Javoris Cooks and junior Mike Lyons are averaging 13.5 and 12.11 points per game, respectively. Lyons also leads the team with 36 assists, averaging 3.6 a game. When fouled, Rogers has been solid at the charity stripe shooting 92.3 percent. This mark places him sixth overall in NAIA Division II.
 
Current Kennesaw State assistant coach Stephen Cox was the head coach at Thomas for its first two season's playing in NAIA.
 
The All-Time Series Versus Thomas
This is second meeting between the Night Hawks and the Owls. Last season, KSU beat Thomas 93-62 in the first game of 2015.
 
Tough Schedule Early
KSU has played two teams that have been ranked at some point this season in LSU and West Virginia. The Owls have two more games against opponents that have been in the AP Top 25 poll at some point when they take on No. 24 Louisville and Indiana. Arizona State has not been ranked yet, but could start getting some recognition by the voters after beating No. 18 Texas A&M and they play the Kentucky Wildcats next in Lexington, Kentucky.
 
After playing Thomas on Monday, December 7, it will cap 11 games since November 13. Kennesaw State will take a break for final exams before playing Louisville on December 16.
 
Stingy Defense
The defense against Florida A&M set the tone for the game and allowed the Owls to get a big early cushion at 17-3. KSU held FAMU to 21.74 percent shooting in the first half as they went 5-23. The 12 points at halftime was the least amount of points that KSU has allowed in a half during their time in Division I.
 
For the game, the Rattlers scored 41 points, which is also the least amount of points allowed by the Owls in the Division I era. It was just two points off of the school record set when KSU held Clayton State to 39 in the semi-finals of the Peachbelt Conference tournament during the 2003-04 season.
 
Against West Virginia, the Owls kept playing hard on the defensive end of the floor. The team forced a season-high 17 turnovers against the Mountaineers.
 
Dynamic Duo
Yonel Brown and Kendrick Ray combined for 59 points against Elon on Monday, November 30. They really caught fire in the second half combining to score 38 of the 53 points the team put on the board.
 
One of the two players has led the team in scoring in every game except for at Arizona State, and they have combined to have six 20-point games this season.
 
Winning Recipe
There are some similarities in Kennesaw State's two wins. In both games, they held their opponents under 35 percent shooting from the floor, they outrebounded their opponents and they forced more turnovers than they committed. The Owls also led both games at halftime in their two wins.
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State men's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
This season, fans should purchase their tickets in advance of games, as they are only $10 ahead of time and $12 at the door.
 
Season tickets are currently available for all the home court action for the Owls and can be purchased by following the link here.