Thursday, December 13
5 p.m. – Kennesaw State (1-8) at Gardner-Webb (6-5)
Location: Boiling Springs, N.C. | Paul Porter Arena
Links: ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Game Notes
Top Storylines
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team returns to the court for the first time in nearly two weeks, after taking a break for final exams, heading to Gardner-Webb to face the Runnin' Bulldogs Thursday at 5 pm.
» Thursday's game marks the series rubber match between KSU and GWU as the two teams are 3-3 against one another with Gardner-Webb winning the last meeting in 2008. The Owls will look to gain the upper hand over GWU while simultaneously snapping their current eight-game skid.
» Redshirt Junior
Tyler Hooker is coming off arguably one of his best all-around performances, logging 16 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists, both marks just shy of his career-high, against Hofstra. Hooker ranks second in the ASUN averaging 18.2 points per game.
» Redshirt junior
Bryson Lockley has been a big threat on the glass so far this season, leading the team and ranking sixth in the ASUN averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. As a team, the Owls are averaging 36.4 rebounds per game to rank fifth in the league.
» Freshman
Ugo Obineke has started the last two games for the Owls, scoring in double-figures in each contest. He is currently second on the squad averaging 9.1 points per game.
» So far this season, KSU is averaging 2.8 blocks per game which ranks fifth in the league.
Antonio Spencer (9th) and
Isaac Mbuyamba (10th), are two of the league's top blockers with eight and seven blocks, respectively.
» KSU had a huge influx of new talent this year, welcoming four freshmen and four transfers, including
Antonio Spencer who joined the team in January.
The Matchup
Gardner-Webb is riding high heading into Thursday's game, winning their last four games, including back-to-back 100-point victories in its last two games. The Runnin' Bulldogs are currently 6-5 on the year.
GWU is one of the top scoring teams in the Big South averaging 82.3 points per game to rank second in the league with its 49.1 field goal percentage leading the conference and ranking 33rd in the nation.
David Efianayi and Jose Perez rank seventh and eighth in the league averaging 16.8 and 16.5 points per game, respectively. Perez is also one of 14 players in the country to record a triple-double this season, recording 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Savannah State.
Last Time Out
Tyler Hooker, Bryson Lockley and Ugo Obineke all finished in double-figures, with Hooker closing in on a triple-double adding six rebounds and six assists, as KSU fell to Hofstra in the Convocation Center Saturday, Dec. 1.
The Owls and the Pride traded buckets to open the game, deadlocked 7-7 at the 15:36 mark. Redshirt-junior Bryson Lockley recorded five of KSU's seven points in the opening minutes. After a free throw from Freshman Ugo Obineke made it 10-8, Hofstra proceeded to go on an 11-0 run to lead 21-8 with 11:40 left in the first half.
Obineke finally broke Hofstra's run with a jumper as the two teams traded buckets throughout the rest of the half. The final three minutes were played at the free throw line, with two made attempts from Lockley making it 37-22 at the half.
KSU came out firing in the second half, going on a 10-2 run to pull within 10 points, 41-32, at the 15:05 mark following a jumper from Lockley. A 7-2 run from the Pride gave Hofstra back its double-digit lead, 15-36, with just over 10 minutes to play.
The Pride maintained that lead, building it to as high as 74-48, following an 11-2 run capped off by a layup at the 2:27 mark. KSU had only two made buckets in the final 10 minutes of the game, scoring 10 of its final 14 points from the free throw line.
Hooker scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
Hooked On Scoring
Red-shirt junior Tyler Hooker has been the Owls go-to scorer throughout the early portion of the season, scoring 10 or more points in all but one game, and 20 or more points in three contests. Against Belmont, he set a new career-high for the second straight game scoring 30 points against the Bruins, marking his second straight game with 25 or more points.
His current 18.2 points per game average ranks second the ASUN. He is one of five players in the league to have over 150 points on the year.
He also ranks among the conference's best at the free throw line with 41 made buckets at the charity stripe to rank tied for second.
If he can continue at this pace, Hooker would rank among the top-10 single-season scorers all-time at KSU.
Now Boarding
The Owls have been big on the glass recording 328 total rebounds to rank fifth in the ASUN for both total rebounds and rebounds per game (36.4). The No. 3 through No. 5 teams in the league are separated by less than one rebound.
Five Owls have recorded over 30 rebounds on the year, three over 40, with redshirt-junior Bryson Lockley leading the team with 57. Lockley along with senior Kosta Jankovic rank among the league's top-15 rebounders at sixth and 14th, respectively.
KSU's current 36.4 rebounds per game average would break the previous Division I single-season record of 35.9 set in 2016-17.
Got It On Lockley
Redshirt-junior Bryson Lockley has enjoyed a tremendous all-around performance in the early portion of the season, recording his first career double-double in an Owl uniform during KSU's game at Georgia.
He is currently tied for ninth in the ASUN with 57 total rebounds after tying his career-high with 11 against UGA. Lockley is one of four players in the league to have 20 or more offensive and defensive rebounds.
His current 6.3 rebounds per game average ranks sixth in the league, and is nearly double his average from last year (3.4).
In addition to that, Lockley is one of three players on the team with 10 or more assists (10), while ranked third on the squad for steals (6) and blocks (4). He also averages 6.2 points per game, having scored in double-figures the last two games.
Blocking Out The Sun
Freshman Antonio Spencer and junior Isaac Mbuyamba have begun to establish their presence around the net this season, combining for 15 of KSU's 25 total blocks.
Spencer has eight blocks on the year to rank ninth in the ASUN while Mbuyamba's seven blocks places him in a tie for 10th. Mbuyamba is the Owls top returning blocker after recording 26 stuffs last season, a mark that ranked sixth in the league.
As a team, the Owls are averaging 2.8 blocks per game to rank fifth in the league.
You Go Ugo!
After pouring in a career-high 17 points in his debut game against Oglethorpe, freshman Ugo Obineke has become a major part of the KSU offense, earning his first career starts in the last two games.
Obineke is second on the team in scoring averaging 9.1 points per game, reaching double-figures in three of the last four games. He leads the team shooting .446 percent from the floor so far this season, ranking among the conference's top-25 (No. 22).
Weathering The Storm
So far this season the Owls have faced three power-5 conference teams as well as three teams in Belmont, Old Dominion and Hofstra who were selected to finish in the top-3 of their respective conferences. KSU has the toughest strength of schedule in the ASUN and the 50th hardest schedule in the nation.
Despite going 1-8 during the opening stretch of the season, KSU ranks fifth in the league for scoring defense, averaging 73.3 points per game. That average is at least three points less than the last two seasons.
The Owls have held three opponents under 60 points, including holding Missouri and Kansas State to 55 and 56 points, respectively.
Free Money
The Owls have made the most of their chances at the charity stripe so far this season, making 109 buckets from the line to rank fifth in the ASUN.
In KSU's game against Eastern Kentucky, the Owls sank 31 free throws, a mark that is tied for third most all-time in a single-game.
Tyler Hooker currently ranks tied for second in the conference with 41 made free throws on the year, shooting 82.0 percent from the line. Hooker has recorded eight or more free throws in three games this year, recording a career-high 13 against EKU.
Like The Energizer Bunny
Tyler Hooker and Bryson Lockley just keep going and going, running the floor for the Owls so far this year, averaging 36.0 and 32.6 minutes per game, respectively, to rank second and fourth in the conference.
Owls Picked To Finish Seventh In ASUN
The Kennesaw State men's basketball team was selected to finish seventh in both the preseason Coaches and media polls.
The Owls have qualified for the ASUN tournament four years in a row, finishing sixth or higher in each year. KSU's best finish in the conference
Looking Ahead
Following Thursday's game, the Owls open a three-game homestand Saturday, hosting Tennessee Tech in their annual Holiday Game at 4 pm. Any fan who brings a toy to donate will earn free admission, along with the opportunity to take pictures with Santa Claus who will be at the game from 3 p.m. until halftime.
