GAME 21: Kennesaw State (7-13, 2-3) vs. NJIT (3-17, 0-5)
DATE: Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. ET
LOCATION: KSU Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga.
WATCH: ESPN3
LINKS: Live Stats | Game Notes (KSU) | Twitter | #GoKSUOwls

A LOOK AT THE MATCHUP …
The Kennesaw State women's basketball program continues its homestand with an Atlantic Sun Conference tilt on Saturday (Jan. 30) afternoon, playing host to newly membered NJIT at the KSU Convocation Center. The two teams will face off for the first time in programs' history. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3 and tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

PROMOTIONS …
Women's Basketball plays at 2 p.m. and gates open at 1 p.m. with free admission. There will be free pillow pets for the first 100 youth 12 and under in attendance. Halftime entertainment will be provided by Teams of Tomorrow. Youth Day activities begin at about 3 p.m. Characters in attendance will be Elsa, a Ninja Turtle, Doc McStuffins, and Darth Vader. There will also be poster making and photos with Sturgis.
 

STATS LEADERS…
Points: Jasmine McAllister, 10.3
Rebounds: Jasmine McAllister, 10.0
Blocks (total): Jasmine McAllister, 26
Assists (total): Clara Young, 58

LAY-UPS…
» Head coach Nitra Perry is in her fourth season, holding a 37-74 overall record with the Owls.
» Stacey Franklin, Janie Mitchell and Nicci Kelly will help Coach Perry on the bench as the assistants in 2015-16.
» Kelly Dulkoski has 10 double-figure scoring games this season, which leads the team.
» Kennesaw State has holds a 6-4 mark at home, but are 1-9 away from KSU this season.
» Kennesaw State has had SIX players (Aareon Smith, Iceis Walker, Tayler Smith , Allison Johnson, Kelly Dulkoski & Clara Young) record career highs in points in just five games this season.
» In fact, Aareon Smith has recorded three games of 20 or more points, including two 23-point performances - all of them coming on the Owls' home floor.
»  Aareon Smith has posted back-to-back 23-point performances before Monday's contest vs. JU, notching ASUN Player of the Week honors two straight weeks.
 
KSU BY THE NUMBERS…
1 – The Owls won their first road game of the season in a 70-55 triumph over North Florida.
2 –  Two (Aareon Smith & Jasmine McAllister) KSU players are averaging double-figure scoring numbers in ASUN play. 
7 – Jasmine McAllister has six double-doubles on the season - which leads the team. 
10 – Kelly Dulkoski has scored 10 double-digit scoring games this season, which leads the team.
10 –  The Owls hit 10 3-pointers vs. UNF, two shy of tying a single-game team career record. 
16.7 – Aareon Smith is averaging 16.7 PPG in ASUN action.
20 – Kelly Dulkoski poured in a career-high 20 points vs Mercer. She has totaled two 20-point games this season. 
55 – Aareon Smith's free throw gave KSU its 55th point Saturday, the game-winning point.
66 – Deandrea Sawyers is 66 points away from the 1,000 point club.
70 – The Owls won their 70th game at the KSU Convocation Center all-time vs. New Orleans at the Thanksgiving Classic.
 
SCOUTING NJIT
- Head coach Steve Lanpher leads the Highlanders into Kennesaw, Georgia for its first matchup with the Owls in program history.
- Lanpher is in his fourth season at the helm of the program, holding a 189-142 (.571) overall record entering the season.
- The Highlanders will enter Saturday's contest on a 12-game losing skid, dropping their latest game to Jacksonville, 65-36, in conference play.
- NJIT's last win game on Dec. 9, 2015 against LIU Brooklyn, winning 53-44.
- Leah Horton leads the charge for the Highlanders, averaging team highs in points (10.5), rebounds (7.0) and total blocks (14).
- Alana Dudley leads the team with 56 total assists and 26 steals for NJIT.
- NJIT is averaging 50.3 points per game, 32.5 rebounds per game and 12.6 assists.
- NJIT is shooting 31.4 percent from beyond the arc and is shooting 34.9 percent overall from the floor.
 
A WIN WOULD…
- Snap the Owls' three-game losing skid.
- Give KSU its seventh win on its home floor this season.
- Give Kennesaw State its first win over NJIT in program history.
 
TWICE AS NICE…
- Aareon Smith has come on strong lately, averaging a team-high 16.7 points per game in three Atlantic Sun Conference tilts.
- The junior forward notched two-straight 23-point performances against Lipscomb and North Florida, taking home A-Sun Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks.
- Aareon Smith is averaging 9.0 points per game on the road this season on 41.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Meanwhile, at home, Smith is averaging 9.9 points per game on 35.8 shooting overall from the field and has made 16 3-pointers at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
HOME VS. ROAD FACTS…
- Kennesaw State enters Saturday's contest with a respectable 6-4 mark in front of its home fans, while posting just a 1-9 record on the road this season.
- Both Jasmine McAllister and Kelly Dulkoski are averaging double-figure numbers (11.2 & 10.7, respectively) at home this season, while the Owls have no players in the double-figure scoring columns on the road.
- Overall, the Owls have shot the ball similar on the road, posting 38.8 percent at home and a 39.1 percent mark on the road. But, the Owls are allowing opponents to shoot close to 42 percent on the road compared to 37.7 percent at the KSU Convocation Center.
- At home, Kennesaw State is averaging 59.6 points per game, 38.6 rebounds per game and 13.0 assists per contest.
- On the road, the Owls are averaging 59.4 points per contest, 35.8 rebounds and 16.9 assists.
- KSU is outscoring its opponents in the first and fourth quarters at home this season, while being outscored in the middle two frames.
- In fact, the Owls are outscoring their opponents 173-139 in the fourth quarter, their largest margin in any quarter at home this season.
- However, KSU has only outscored its opponents in the first quarter on the road this season, 166-162.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE…
- Jasmine McAllister notched her seventh double-double of the season against Thomas University on Dec. 29.
- Four of her seven double-doubles this season have been on KSU's home floor – Presbyterian, Western Carolina, New Orleans and Thomas.
- The senior totaled 13 points and 15 rebounds against the Musketeers and then totaled 14 points and 13 boards against Thomas.
- Her 15 rebounds against Xavier notched her fifth game of pulling down 15 rebounds – four shy of her career high.
- Over her last four games, McAllister is averaging 11.3 points per game and 12.8 boards per game.
- She currently leads the team averaging 10.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
- Most recently, McAllister fell one rebound shy of her eighth double-double, posting 19 points and nine rebounds at Jacksonville.
 
THE COUNTDOWN TO 1,000…
- Deandrea Sawyers has made 121 3-pointers over her first two seasons with the Owls. The most made 3-pointers in a season was 78 by Taylor Mills in 2011-12, which Sawyers fell just 15 shy of breaking that record.
- Sawyers has made only six 3-pointers this season, but has kept her 1,000 point pace by scoring 156 total points and averaging 8.7 points per game.
- Sawyers is 66 points (7.3 points per game needed for the remainder of the season) away from reaching the
1,000 point plateau in 2015-16. She would be only the third player to accomplish the milestone since the Owls turned Division I in 2005-06.
 
TEAM FACTS…
-The Owls 60-53 win against New Orleans on Nov. 29 marked the 70th win all-time at the KSU
Convocation Center.
- With its victory against Lipscomb, the Owls have now won 70 Atlantic Sun Conference games since joining the league in 2005.
- The Owls won their first game when trailing at halftime against Lipscomb last Saturday.
- Kennesaw State is eight wins away from reaching 350 wins in the NCAA (335-281 entering the season) all-time.
- Jasmine McAllister also recorded 317 rebounds a season ago, which fell seven shy of the single season record of 324 by Sametria Gideon in 2012-13.
- McAllister has pulled down 200 through 20 games this season, averaging 10 boards per game.
- KSU welcomed back seven letterwinners from a season ago and has seven newcomers that make up the 2015-16 roster.
- Kennesaw State has had SIX players (Aareon Smith, Iceis Walker, Tayler Smith, Allison Johnson, Kelly Dulkoski & Clara Young) record career highs this season.
- Clara Young also recorded a career-high eight assists on the road against Xavier on Dec. 21, 2015.
- In addition, Young also recorded her career-high six rebounds against FGCU on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
- Aareon Smith's two games of 23 points is the highest total an individual has scored this season in a single game.
- Jasmine McAllister has recorded five games of 15 rebounds in a single game, the highest total this season from any Owl.