Monday, December 16
8 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (1-8, 0-0) at Murray State (5-4, 0-0)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Location: Murray, Ky. | CFSB Center

Wednesday, December 18
7:30 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (1-8, 0-0) at Belmont (7-3, 0-0)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Location: Nashville, Tenn. | Curb Event Center

Game Notes: KSU

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team travels to Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim's old stomping grounds Monday night to kick off a two-game road swing at Murray State. The Owls and Racers square off for the first time in program history Monday at 8 p.m. ET before KSU takes the short trip over to Nashville to face Belmont Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.

» The Owls recorded their first win of the season, and first under coach Abdur-Rahim, with a decisive 85-61 victory over Gardner-Webb this past Friday. Four Owls finished in double-figures, led by Tyler Hooker with 27 points, with Bryson Lockley recording a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds).

» Tyler Hooker has now netted 20 or more points in the last two games to bring his season average up to 12.3 points per game. That mark is good enough to tie for 11th in the ASUN. He finished the Owls' recent game against GWU with 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

» Bryson Lockley recorded his sixth career double-double against GWU, tying his career-high with 17 points while adding 12 rebounds. Lockley is now one of two Owls, including Armani Harris, to average over five rebounds and five points per game.

» KSU has elevated its presence around the rim as of late, recording 40 or more rebounds in four of the last five games to push its season average up to 37.1 per game. That mark is good enough for third in the ASUN. Three Owls, Armani Harris (7th), Antonio Spencer (10th) and Bryson Lockley (13th) currently rank among the conference's top-15 for rebounds per game.

» Three Owls, Ugo Obineke, Bryson Lockley and Adili Kuerban, netted three or more three-pointers against GWU. KSU's 12 total treys marked the first time since February of 2014 that the Owls recorded 12 or more three-pointers in a game.  

GOT YOU HOOKED
After being held scoreless against Iona, redshirt senior Tyler Hooker has bounced back with a vengeance, hitting double-figures in the last three games, 20 or more in the last two. Following his back-to-back 20-point games, including a season-high 27 against Gardner-Webb, Hooker is now averaging 12.3 points per game to rank tied for 11th in the ASUN.

Hooker has logged 20 or more points 15 times throughout his career, including 11 times last season to finish the year second in the ASUN averaging 19 points per game.

The Simpsonville, S.C., product reached 1,000 career points scored last season and needs just 80 more points this year to crack the KSU career top-10. He is one of seven players in the ASUN to be a member of the 1,000 points club.

Off the ball, Hooker has been very productive this season, recording seven assists and six rebounds in KSU's last game against Gardner-Webb. He currently leads the team with 17 assists while ranked second with seven steals.

One of the Owls most formidable free throw shooters, he is 36-of-42 at the line this season for an .857 shooting percentage at the stripe. Hooker ranks fifth in the ASUN for shooting percentage and third for made free throws. He has only missed more than one free throw in a game once this year, going 5-of-7 against FIU.

With 317 made free throws during his KSU career, Hooker is one of five Owls in DI history to make over 300 free throws, currently ranked third on the career record list.

PUT IT ON THE BOARD
The Owls have picked up their aggressiveness underneath the rim, recording 40 or more rebounds in four of the last five games. KSU's current 37.1 rebounds per game average ranks third in the ASUN and if maintained would set a new DI single-season record.

Four Owls are currently averaging at least four rebounds per game with Armani Harris (7th), Antonio Spencer (10th) and Bryson Lockley (13th) ranking among the conference's top-15 for rebounds per game.

KSU began the year with a -5.0 rebounding margin after the first three games of the season and have since either tied or out-rebounded opponents in the last six games, including a +13 rebounding advantage at Elon. The Owls now have a +1.6 rebounding margin on the year.

To put the current trend in perspective, KSU set the DI single-season record last year averaging 36.3 rebounds per game, recording 40 or more rebounds in eight games. Through nine games last season, KSU had logged two games with 40+ boards to average 36.4 rebounds per game.

SEEING DOUBLE
Bryson Lockley's double-double against Gardner-Webb marked the Owls' second double-double of the year. Freshman Armani Harris is the only other Owl to record a double-double this season with 10 points and 15 rebounds against FIU.

Lockley and Harris are the only two Owls to average at least five rebounds and five points per game. Sophomore Antonio Spencer is not far behind, averaging 4.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Lockley recorded five double-doubles a year ago, hitting double-digit boards in six games. He finished the 2018-19 campaign as one of the Owls top all-around players, running the boards with a team-high 225 rebounds while second on the team with 53 assists and was one of two players to capture at least 20 steals (21) and blocks (21). 

SET THE TONE
Redshirt Sophomore Antonio "Tone" Spencer earned his first career start in the Owls' season-opener at Creighton and is the only Owl to start every game so far this season.

The Dallas, Texas native continues to elevate his game, scoring 12 points in the second half alone against FIU to record his first career double-figure game. Spencer also pulled down eight rebounds against the Panthers, one shy of his career-high.

He currently ranks 10th in the conference averaging 6.3 rebounds per game

Spencer's team-high six blocks on the year places him in a tie for 12th in the league. He finished last season ranked second on the team and eighth in the ASUN with 27 total blocks.

Spencer has seen a lot more minutes already this year, averaging 19.8 minutes per game. Last season he recorded over 20 minutes only four times in 32 appearances, averaging 13.4 minutes per game in 2018-19. 

CARRYING THE BURDEN
Terrell Burden has made an instant impact on the court for KSU during his first season in an Owl uniform. The Smyrna, Ga., product has scored double-digits in four of his last five appearances, leading the team in scoring in three of those games.

Burden is averaging 10.5 points per game to tie for 16th in the ASUN. He has netted a career-high 15 points twice this year, once at Elon and again against FIU.

Burden has also added 14 assists and five steals on the year.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Owls will play 18 of their 11 games on the road this year. With only four home non-conference games the Owls will get their travel legs under them right away before hitting league play.

KSU will travel a long and difficult road before ASUN play with seven NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule, including four who made it to the second round of play. The 2019-20 slate also includes nine teams who finished last year in the top-100 RPI, six in the top-50, as well as 10 teams who won 20 or more games.

LOOKING AHEAD
After their midweek road swing, the Owls return to the Convocation Center for their final home non-conference game of the year, hosting Wofford Sunday (Dec. 22) at 2 p.m.

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