Saturday, December 15
4 p.m.  – Kennesaw State (1-9) vs Tennessee Tech (3-7)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes | Tickets

Top Storylines
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team opens a three-game homestand Saturday, hosting Tennessee Tech in its annual Holiday game slated for 4 p.m.
» The Owls are coming off one of their best performances of the season so far, taking Gardner-Webb to the brink before falling in overtime, 81-77.
» Redshirt junior Bryson Lockley recorded his second double-double in the past three games, tying his career-highs with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Kosta Jankovic logged his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
» Junior Isaac Mbuyamba brought the Runnin' Bulldogs to a stop with a career-high six blocks Thursday, setting a new Division I single-game record.
» In his first career appearance for the Owls, UCF transfer Danny Lewis came off the bench to record nine points and two rebounds.
» Tyler Hooker came alive late at Gardner-Webb scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half to log his eighth straight game in double-figures. Hooker ranks second in the ASUN averaging 18.2 points per game.
» Freshman Ugo Obineke has started the last three games for the Owls, ranked second on the squad averaging 9.0 points per game.
» The Owls tied their season-high with 45 rebounds against Gardner-Webb. So far this season, KSU is averaging 37.3 rebounds per game which ranks third overall in the conference.
» 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
Tennessee Tech heads to the Convocation Center to complete the home-and-home series started last season. The Golden Eagles are 2-0 against KSU after defeating the Owls 82-68 last year in Cookeville.

TTU is 3-7 on the year after winning their last two games. The Golden Eagles won both of their last two games by over 40 points, defeating Warren Wilson College 118-60 followed by a 97-60 victory over Hiwassee College.

Junior Micaiah Henry leads the Golden Eagles averaging 14 points per game which ranks 12th in the Ohio Valley Conference. Henry is also the team leader in blocks with 21 to rank second in the OVC. Senior Courtney Alexander II is another threat for TTU ranked third in the league averaging 8.4 rebounds per game.

Holiday Cheering
Saturday's game marks the Owls annual Holiday Game at the Convocation Center. KSU will have a toy drive for free admission to the game. Bring an unwrapped new gift Saturday to earn free entry. All toys go to Foster4Love, a foster care organization located in Cobb County.

Local sponsor Academy Sports and Outdoors has already begun the giving as they have donated 50 new bicycles to the toy drive.

KSU will also welcome Santa Claus to the Convocation Center for pictures with the whole family! Santa will start taking pictures one hour before tip-off at 3 p.m. and will stay throughout the first half.

Last Time Out
The Owls put up some career numbers at Gardner-Webb with double-doubles from Bryson Lockley and Kosta Jankovic to go along with a record-breaking blocking performance from Isaac Mbuyamba, but it was not enough to outrun the Bulldogs in an OT thriller Thursday night.

After a layup from Mbuyamba opened the scoring for the Owls, KSU fell into a hole as GWU went on a 7-0 run to lead 9-2. KSU responded with an 11-2 run, capped off by a steal and a dunk from Kyle Clarke to earn its first lead of the night 15-14.

Down by one-point with 10 minutes left in the half, the Owls then proceeded to go on an 11-0 run that spanned six minutes to lead 26-18. The two teams traded buckets in the final minutes of the half with KSU holding a 34-28 lead at halftime.

KSU opened the second half with back-to-back buckets to push its lead to 10 points, 38-28. The Owls led by as much as 13 points, 52-39, following a bucket from Mbuyamba at the 12:59 mark. That would be the last field goal for the Owls for the next seven minutes.

Gardner-Webb chipped away at the Owls' lead with KSU remaining in front thanks to its free-throw shooting, going 14-of-20 from the charity stripe in the second half. Mbuyamba finally broke the drought for the Owls with a layup to make it 61-57 with under six minutes to play.

The Runnin' Bulldogs tied the game up with a quick 6-0 run to lock the game at 66-66 with 2:32 to play. Tyler Hooker pulled the Owls in front with a clutch three-pointer followed by a free-throw from Mbuyamba to give KSU a two-point lead. GWU forced OT on the ensuing possession with a layup to end regulation tied 70-70.

In OT, GWU jumped out to a 75-71 lead at the 3:15 mark. The Owls attempted to pull it even, but Gardner-Webb was able to answer every shot to remain in front and earn the 81-77 win.

Seeing Double
Both Kosta Jankovic and Bryson Lockley set new standards on their way to recording double-doubles at Gardner-Webb. It marked the first time two Owls recorded a double-double in the same game since Aubrey Williams and Jordan Jones accomplished the feat against North Florida during the 2016-17 season.

Jankovic's double-double was the first of his career, logging a career-high 13 rebounds. The senior's 13 boards marked the most rebounds for an Owl since Aubrey William's 14 rebounds against Lipscomb on Feb. 23, 2017, a span of 41 games.

Lockley logged his second double-double in the last three games, tying both of his career-highs with 15 points and 11 rebounds. 

It's A Block Party!
Junior Isaac Mbuyamba wreaked havoc on the Runnin' Bulldogs with six blocks. Not only is that a new career-high for the Portland, Ore., native, but it sets a new Division I single-game record for KSU, falling just one block shy of the overall program record of seven set by Ron Ruffin in 1995.

Mbuyamba leads the team with 13 total blocks on the year which is already half of his 2017-18 total. He currently ranks fifth in the ASUN for total blocks.

As a team, the Owls recorded eight total blocks at GWU, tied for the second most all-time at KSU. So far this year, KSU is averaging 3.3 blocks per game to rank fourth in the league.

Freshman Antonio Spencer is another big factor in KSU's blocking prowess with eight on the year which ranks 11th in the conference.

Got It On Lockley
Redshirt-junior Bryson Lockley has enjoyed a tremendous all-around performance in the early portion of the season, recording two double-doubles in the last three games. Over the current three-game span he is averaging 12.7 points and nine rebounds per game.

The Houston, Texas native leads the team and ranks fifth in the ASUN averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. He is the only player in the league to have 30 or more offensive and defensive rebounds.

Lockley is averaging 7.1 points per game which is more than double his 2017-18 average. He is well on his way to shattering his point total from last year (103) with 71 points scored already this season.

In addition to that, Lockley is one of four players on the team with 10 or more assists (11), while ranked third on the squad for blocks (4). 

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 two players in the league to have over 180 points on the year.

He also ranks among the conference's best at the free throw line with 48 made buckets at the charity stripe to rank third.

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 averaging 37.3 rebounds per game to rank third in the ASUN. The top four teams are separated by less than 1.5 rebounds.

Five Owls have recorded over 30 rebounds on the year, four over 40, with redshirt-junior Bryson Lockley leading the team with 68. Lockley along with senior Kosta Jankovic are two of the league's top-10 rebounders ranked fifth and ninth, respectively.

KSU's current 37.3 rebounds per game average would break the previous Division I single-season record of 35.9 set in 2016-17.

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 three games.

Obineke is second on the team in scoring averaging 9.0 points per game, reaching double-figures in two of the last three games. 

Free Money
The Owls have made the most of their chances at the charity stripe so far this season, making 129 buckets from the line to rank tied for sixth 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. Against Gardner-Webb, the Owls recorded 20 made free throws.

Tyler Hooker currently ranks third in the conference with 48 made free throws on the year, shooting 82.8 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 36.6 and 33.2 minutes per game, respectively, to rank second and fourth in the conference. 

To Be The Best You Have To Play The Best
The Owls have a formidable non-conference schedule this season, featuring five matchups against Power-5 teams.

After the Owls' season-opener, they jump right into the deep end, traveling to face last year's elite eight squad of Kansas State. The following week KSU heads to the Virgin Islands to play in the Paradise Jam Tournament. KSU opens the tournament against SEC foe Missouri with the potential to face either Oregon State or Old Dominion in the second round.

KSU then returns to the states to take on perennial OVC powerhouse Belmont before squaring off against the likes of Georgia, Tennessee Tech and Georgia Tech before opening conference play.

Protect The Nest
The Owls have done a good job of protecting their home court recording eight wins in each of the last three seasons. Before the 2015-16 campaign, KSU has only recorded eight home wins three times since joining Division I (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2009-10).

Looking Ahead
The Owls continue their homestand, hosting Elon Tuesday (Dec. 18) at 7 p.m.
 

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