Saturday, February 6
4:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State vs. NJIT (ESPN3)
Links: Live Stats | ESPN3 | Tickets | Game Notes
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
 
SCOUTING NJIT                                       
NJIT is in the middle of its first season in the Atlantic Sun. The Highlanders are off to a 4-4 start and currently on a two game winning streak.
 
Overall, NJIT is 13-11 and faced a difficult non-conference schedule against Kentucky, Providence, St. John's and Stony Brook. The Highlanders topped two power five schools in St. Johns and South Florida.
 
Damon Lynn leads NJIT averaging 18.0 ppg. In the first meeting, he led all scorers with 22 points and went 11-13 from the free throw line.
 
NJIT is led by Jim Engles, who is in his eighth season as head coach.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NJIT
The Highlanders held on to beat Kennesaw State 75-67 at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
Taking Care of the Ball
Against USC Upstate, the Owls had its second game this season with single-digit turnovers with nine. Only three of those came in the second half and the Owls shot 62.5 percent from the floor with 10 assists to post 48 points in the final 20 minutes.
 
Taking care of the ball is something that KSU has been improving on as the season has gone on. Going back, the Owls have had less than 15 turnovers in the previous 16 of 19 games.
 
30-Point Performances
Yonel Brown and Kendrick Ray have combined for five 30-point performances this season. Brown has had three as he scored 34 against Alabama, 31 against Elon and 34 against Stetson. Ray has had two 30-point games scoring 30 against Mercer and 31 against FGCU.
 
Sharing the Ball
The team has had more assists than turnovers in eight of 11 games. In two of those games, the Owls accumulated 20 assists.
 
Against USC Upstate, KSU had 16 assists to nine turnovers. In the second half, the Owls were led by Bernard Morena who had five of the Owls 10 assists in the final 20 minutes.
 
Offense Clicking in Conference Play
Since A-Sun play, Kennesaw State is averaging 10 more points per game than they did through non-conference play. Currently, the Owls are averaging 77.88 points per game. After the 16 non-conference games, the team was averaging 67.1 ppg.
 
In the eight games, KSU has had six halves where they have shot over 50 percent.
 
Bench Stepping Up
Last time the Owls faced NJIT, Kennesaw State fell behind by 19 early in the first half. With the bench players inserted into the game, they provided a spark that led KSU on a 16-0 run to get back within three points. In the first half, the bench players scored 19 of the 29 points for the Owls.
 
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.