Saturday, January 5
4 p.m.  – Kennesaw State (3-12, 0-0) at NJIT (12-3, 0-0)
Location: Newark, N.J. | Wellness and Events Center
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats | KSU Game Notes

Top Storylines
» The real season begins for the Kennesaw State men's basketball team as it opens ASUN play at NJIT Saturday at 4 p.m. The Owls are 3-10 all-time in ASUN openers, with their last win coming against Lipscomb during the 2015-16 season.
» The Owls are coming off a loss at Yale in which senior Kosta Jankovic drained six buckets from beyond the arc for a career-high 22 points. Jankovic's six treys ties the second most three-pointers made in a single-game in D1 history, finishing 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
» Redshirt-junior Tyler Hooker kept his double-digit streak alive with 12 points to mark his 13th straight game with 10 or more points. Hooker has hit double-figures in all but one game this season and is currently ranked second in the ASUN averaging 18.5 points per game, one of two players in the conference to record over 250 points on the year.
» Ugo Obineke hit double-digits for the second time in three games, sixth time this season, at Yale going 7-of-11 from the floor. Obineke leads the team and is tied for 11th in the league shooting 47.8 percent on the year.
» The Owls are right in the mix for the top-rebounding teams in the conference, averaging 36.5 boards per game, just 0.8 rebounds shy of North Alabama who ranks second.
» Bryson Lockley broke the century mark for rebounds on the year (103), making him one of three players in the ASUN with at least 100 boards.
» As a team, the Owls rank fifth in the conference averaging 3.1 blocks per game, a mark that would rank among the top-10 all-time in Division I single-season history at KSU.

The Matchup
The Highlanders and the Owls will meet on the court for the seventh time in history Saturday with NJIT holding a 4-2 series lead after winning the last two meetings.

NJIT is riding high, having won five of its last six games, its only loss coming to No. 22 Houston, for a 12-3 overall record. The Highlanders are one of two teams in the league to have over 10 wins on the year already.

Sophomore Zach Cooks leads the team, and the ASUN, averaging 19.5 points per game, shooting over 40 percent from three-point range with a league-leading 38 made treys on the year. Cooks also leads the conference with 39 total steals.

On the glass, Abdul Lewis leads the Highlanders averaging nine rebounds per game to rank second in the conference. So far this season, Lewis has recorded four double-doubles.

Last Time Out
Senior Kosta Jankovic went 6-of-8 from three-point range, netting a career-high 22 points, as the Owls tied their season-high with eight made three-pointers at Yale. KSU's hot-shooting was not enough to push it past the Bulldogs though as Yale recorded the 92-65 win.

Yale gained the early advantage over the Owls following a 10-2 run to take a 12-5 lead. Jankovic responded ending the Bulldogs' run with his first three-pointer of the night to spark a 9-0 run for KSU, three straight three-pointers, giving the Owls their only lead of the night, 14-12, at the 14:33 mark.

After a trey from Jordan Bruner pulled the Yale back in front, the Bulldogs proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to gain a 24-16 cushion. Another 7-0 run pushed Yale's lead into double-figures, 38-24, with just over five minutes to play.

The Bulldogs built their lead to as high as 21 points, 50-29, before KSU closed out the first half on an 8-0 run, capped off by a half-court buzzer-beater from Jankovic, to head into the locker room trailing 50-37. Both Jankovic and Ugo Obineke netted 11 points throughout the opening period.

Jankovic opened the second half with yet another three-pointer to make it 56-44 at the 17:43 mark as KSU attempted to pull it within single-digits. Yale had an answer for every Owl bucket though as the two teams proceeded to trade points until a 14-2 run gave the Bulldogs a 78-53 lead with 7:34 to play.

The Bulldogs kept KSU at bay, pushing their lead to as high as 33 points, shooting 57.1 percent in the second half compared to 26.7 percent for the Owls.

From Long Distance!
Kosta Jankovic became the second Owl this season to record six three-pointers in a single-game, going 6-of-8 from beyond the arc at Yale. Jankovic did not miss his first three-pointer until halfway through the second half.

Only Tyler Hooker, 6-of-10 against Tennessee Tech, and Bobby Parker, 5-of-7 at Samford, have made five or more three-pointers in a game this year. Both Jankovic and Hooker's six made treys ties the second-most three-point field goals made in a single-game in KSU DI history.

Only two players in the league, JT Escobar of North Florida and Shadarac Casimir of FGCU, have recorded more three-pointers in a game.

After his performance at Yale, Jankovic is now shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range to rank 11th in the conference.

Hooker and Jankovic are the only two Owls with more than 10 three-pointers on the year, combining to record 38 of KSU's 58 treys this season.

Some Strong Points
Red-shirt junior Tyler Hooker has been lighting up the stat sheet and the scoreboard this year, scoring 10 or more points in all but one game, 20 or more points in five contests.

Hooker set a new career-high this year with 30 points against Belmont before pouring in six three-pointers against Tennessee Tech, the second-most treys made in a single-game in DI history, to log 28 points.

The Simpsonville, S.C., native ranks second in the ASUN averaging 18.5 points per game and is one of two players in the league to have over 250 points on the year.

He also ranks among the conference's best at the free throw line with 66 made buckets at the charity stripe to rank second. His 83.5 shooting percentage from the free throw line ranks fourth in the league.

If he can continue at this pace, Hooker would rank among the top-10 single-season scorers all-time at KSU.

Not done there, Hooker also ranks among the conference's top-10 for steals (T-8th) and assists (T-7th).

Now Boarding
The Owls were back in form at Yale recording over 35 rebounds for the ninth time in the last 10 games, 12th time this year. KSU ranks sixth in the ASUN averaging 36.5 boards per game with the No. 2 through No. 6 teams only separated by less than one rebound per game.

KSU is second in the league for offensive boards, averaging 11.7 per game.

Three Owls are currently ranked among the conference's top-20 for rebounds per game. Bryson Lockley ranks fifth in the conference averaging 6.9 rebounds per game while Kosta Jankovic (5.5 rpg) and Isaac Mbuyamba (4.8 rpg) rank 11th and tied for 20th, respectively.

Bryson Lockley broke 100 rebounds on the year (103) following the game at Yale, making him one of three players in the conference to hit the century mark. Lockley has recorded at least eight rebounds in seven games, hitting double-digits three times, including a career-high 14 against Elon.

KSU's current 36.5 rebounds per game average would break the previous Division I single-season record of 35.9 set in 2016-17.

Ugo Hard In The Paint
After pouring in 17 points in his debut game against Oglethorpe, freshman Ugo Obineke has become a staple in the starting lineup.

Obineke has recorded double-digits in six games, including two of the last three with a career-high 24 points against Southeastern. The Rowlett, Texas native went 9-of-12 in the second half for 18 points to help the Owls defeat the Fire.

He is one of three Owls to score over 100 points so far this season averaging 9.7 points per game.

Obineke leads the team, and is tied for 11th in the league, shooting 47.8 percent from the floor. He has shot over 50 percent in six games this season, two of the last three.

It's A Block Party!
Junior Isaac Mbuyamba wreaked havoc at Gardner-Webb with six blocks. Not only is that a new career-high for Mbuyamba, 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 17 total blocks on the year. He currently ranks fourth in the ASUN for total blocks. The Portland, Ore., product has a shot at cracking the career block top-10 list this season with 44 blocks so far in his KSU career. Israel Brown (1989-93) currently holds the No. 10 spot with 58.

As a team, KSU ranks fifth in the conference averaging 3.1 blocks per game. At Gardner-Webb, the Owls recorded eight total blocks, tying the second most blocks all-time in a single-game at KSU. The Owls have recorded five or more blocks three times this year, and at least one block in all but two games.

Freshman Antonio Spencer is another big factor in KSU's blocking prowess with 10 on the year to rank tied for 12th in the conference.

If KSU can continue at this pace (3.1 bpg), it would rank among the all-time Division I top-10 single-season records.

Got It On Lockley
Redshirt-junior Bryson Lockley has been a huge piece for the Owls in his second season at KSU, scoring in double-figures in four games, including two double-doubles.

The Houston, Texas native leads the team and ranks fifth in the ASUN averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. He is one of three players in the conference to record over 100 rebounds on the year.

Lockley has already surpassed his rebound total from last season, recording 94 during the 2017-18 campaign, as well as his assists total. He has also nearly doubled his scoring production from a year ago, averaging 6.6 points per game compared to 3.7 last season.

Lockley is one of three players on the team with 25 or more assists (27), while ranked third on the squad for blocks (6). 

Shoot Your Shot
The Owls' recent game at Yale snapped a five-games streak of shooting over 40 percent from the floor for KSU. Before the current stretch, the Owls shot above 40 percent in only two games.

Throughout the first nine games of the season KSU was shooting 34.6 percent compared to 43.9 percent over the last six games.

Ugo Obineke leads the team with a 47.8 shooting percentage which ranks tied for 11th in the ASUN.

Kosta Coast
Senior Kosta Jankovic became the second Owl to break the century mark in points scored this year (145) after netting 17 points against Elon.

After his career-high 22-point performance at Yale, Jankovic has now hit double-figures seven times this season, including three of the last four games, averaging 9.7 points per game.

Free Money
The Owls have made the most of their chances at the charity stripe as of late, shooting 60 percent or better in seven of the last eight games.

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, sinking 15 or more free throws in four of the last six games.

Tyler Hooker currently ranks second in the conference with 66 made free throws on the year. He ranks fourth in the league shooting 83.5 percent at the line. He has not missed more than two free throws in a game all year.

Like The Energizer Bunny
Three Owls, Tyler Hooker, Bryson Lockley and Kosta Jankovic, have long-lasting batteries averaging over 30 minutes per game. All three rank among the ASUN's top-10 for minutes per game.

Hooker ranks second averaging 35.1 minutes per game followed by Lockley (32.0) in fifth and Jankovic (30.3) in eighth.

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
After Saturday's conference-opener, the Owls return to the Convocation Center to open a three-game homestand against Jacksonville Wednesday (Jan. 9) at 7 p.m.

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