Wednesday, February 20
7 p.m.  – Kennesaw State (5-22, 2-10) vs North Alabama (8-19, 5-7)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Owl Radio
Game Notes: KSU

Top Storylines
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team closes out its brief homestand hosting North Alabama Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Lions won the first meeting this season, fending off an 18-point second half comeback attempt by the Owls.

» Tyler Hooker joined the prestigious 1,000 points scored club during KSU's game against Lipscomb. Hooker dropped 23 points, the ninth time this year he's logged 20 or more points, to lead all scorers. He currently ranks second in the ASUN averaging 19 points per game.

» Isaac Mbuyamba pulled down 10 rebounds against the Bisons marking the third time this season he has recorded double-digit boards. Mbuyamba is one of three Owls to rank among the league's top-20 for rebounds per game. As a team, KSU ranks third in the conference averaging 36.7 rebounds per game, a mark that would break the previous single-season record.

» The Owls continue to shine from the free throw line this season, currently ranked fourth in the conference with a 69.7 shooting percentage at the stripe. That mark would rank second in KSU DI single-season history. KSU has shot 70 percent or better at the stripe in five straight games.

» One of the top shot-blocking teams in the league, KSU has three players ranked among the ASUN's top-20. Isaac Mbuyamba ranks tied for sixth with 28 while Antonio Spencer (23) and Bryson Lockley (16) rank ninth and 16th, respectively.

The Matchup
The Lions head into Wednesday's game looking to snap a five-game losing streak. UNA's last victory came against the Owls in Alabama. That win marked the first ever win for the Lions against KSU.

North Alabama is one of five teams jockeying for seeding in the ASUN. The Lions are currently 5-7 in league play, tied with Jacksonville for fifth, and one win back from the three-way tie for third in the conference.

So far this season, UNA is 1-16 overall in road games.

The Lions are led by freshman Jamari Blackmon who ranks among the ASUN's top-10 for points per game (7th), assists (10th) and steals (4th). Emanuel Little ranks fifth in the league averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out
The Owls held league-leaders Lipscomb in check during the opening 20 minutes, trailing by only four points at halftime, but they could not keep the herd at bay for long as the Bisons stampeded to an 83-67 victory behind a big second half.

Tyler Hooker led the team with 23 points, the ninth time this year he's scored 20 or more points, to become the newest member of the 1,000-career points club at KSU.

The Owls took it to Lipscomb out of the gates going on a 7-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Bobby Parker, to lead 7-2 at the 15:05 mark. Both squads traded buckets until a 6-0 run gave Lipscomb its first lead of the night, 14-11, with 8:58 to play.

Danny Lewis answered with a three-pointer from beyond the arc, and one at the free throw line, to keep the two teams level 17-17. The Bisons then seized control with a 7-0 run to lead 24-17 with 5:30 to go. KSU attempted to cut into the lead, but Lipscomb had an answer for each Owl bucket.

Lewis kept the Owls alive with the final four points of the half, draining a jumper as time expired to pull KSU within four, 33-29, at halftime. The Owls kept Lipscomb and the ASUN's leading scorer Garrison Mathews in check during the first half, holding Mathews to 0-of-7 from the floor.

In the second half Mathews and the Bisons picked up the tempo with Lipscomb earning three points the hard way to open the period. Mathews then sank his first bucket of the game giving Lipscomb back-to-back three-pointers to lead 42-31 at the 17:20 mark.

KSU worked the lead back down to single-digits following free throws from Hooker and a layup from Bryson Lockley, but the Bisons pulled away following a 7-0 run to lead 51-37 with 13:30 to play. The Owls kept it close throughout the half, but could not get the lead back down to single-digits as the Bisons heated up from the floor, shooting around 70 percent at one point.

Following back-to-back layups from Hooker and Lockley, Lipscomb rattled off the next five points to earn its largest lead of the night, 74-55, with just over three minutes left in the game. Both squads went point-for-point the rest of the way with a last second jumper from Ugo Obineke earning the final score of 83-67.

Making Four Figures
Following his 23-point performance against Lipscomb, redshirt junior Tyler Hooker became the newest member of the 1,000 career points scored club.

Hooker has been on fire this season, recording over half of his career points this year alone (513). He needs just seven more points to tie David Gray (1990-91) for 10th on the all-time single-season points scored list.

So far this year, Hooker is the only player in the ASUN to score over 500 points, recording over 300 points in back-to-back seasons.

Hooker still needs over 200 points to crack the all-time career record list with Israel Brown (1989-93) currently sitting in 10th with 1,268 career points. 

Balling Out
Tyler Hooker has been on another level this season, scoring 10 or more points in all but one game, 20 or more points in nine contests, while netting at least 15 points in seven of the last eight games.

The Simpsonville, S.C., native ranks second in the ASUN averaging 19 points per game. If he can continue at this pace, Hooker would rank among KSU's top-10 for points per game in a single-season.

Hooker has been deadly from the free throw line, leading the league with 137 made buckets from the charity stripe, the only player in the league with over 130 made free throws. His accuracy is another sight to behold, shooting 84 percent from the free throw line this year to rank fourth in the conference.

Rounding out his stellar performance this season, Hooker ranks fifth in the league for both assists (82) and steals (41). He has recorded four or more assists in seven straight games.

It's A Block Party!
The Owls have recorded three or more blocks in seven of the last eight games, including a season-high nine blocks in their recent game at Jacksonville, a mark that ranks second in DI single-game history, just one block shy of the overall record.

As a team, the Owls are fourth in the conference averaging 3.1 blocks per game, a mark that ranks among the top-10 in KSU DI single-season history.

Bryson Lockley has been on a tear as of late, logging two or more blocks in three of the past four games, recording a career-high four stuffs at North Florida. Lockley is now the third Owl to rank among the ASUN's top-20 for total blocks, jumping into a tie for 16th.

Antonio Spencer is currently ninth with 23 blocks, recording 13 during league play, while Isaac Mbuyamba leads the team and ranks tied for sixth in the conference with 28 total blocks. Mbuyamaba needs just five more blocks to tie Devon Kirksey (1997-98) for 10th on the KSU single-season record list.

At Jacksonville, Mbuyamba logged his second game this year with five or more blocks, logging five stuffs to tie the previous DI single-game record. At Gardner-Webb Mbuyamba recorded a career-high six blocks to set the 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.

With 55 blocks in his career, the Portland, Ore., product is just three blocks shy of cracking the KSU career blocks top-10.

Spencer and Isaac Mbuyamba are two of 10 players in the league to record at least 20 blocks on the year, combining to record 51 of KSU's 84 blocks this season.

Now Boarding
So far this year, KSU is averaging 36.7 rebounds per game to rank third in the ASUN. If maintained, that average would set a new DI single-season record previously established in 2016-17.

The Owls have pulled down 35 or more rebounds in six of the last seven games, recording at least 30 boards in all but three games this year.

The Owls pulled down a season-high 51 rebounds in their recent game at North Alabama. That total is the second-most rebounds in a single-game, just four boards shy of the KSU DI record, while marking only the third time in DI history that the Owls have secured 50 or more rebounds.

Three Owls are currently ranked among the conference's top-20 for rebounds per game. Lockley ranks sixth in the conference averaging 7.3 rebounds per game while Isaac Mbuyamba (5.4 rpg) and Tyler Hooker (4.6 rpg) rank 13th and 20th, respectively.

Three Owls have recorded 10 or more rebounds in a game this season with Lockley accomplishing the feat five times, followed by Mbuyamba three times and Kosta Jankovic once.

Got It On Lock
Bryson Lockley has done it all for the Owls this season recording four double-doubles on the year. Lockley is coming off arguably one of his best all-around performances at North Florida, recording seven points and nine rebounds while tying his career-highs for assists (5) and blocks (4) and setting a season-high for steals (3).

Lockley has recorded double-digit rebounds in five games this season.

The Houston, Texas native leads the team and ranks sixth in the ASUN averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. He is one of seven players in the conference to record over 175 rebounds on the year, needing just two more to crack 200 total.

He has nearly doubled his scoring production from a year ago, averaging 7.1 points per game compared to 3.7 last season. This season he has scored in double-figures in seven games, compared to only two games during the 2017-18 campaign.

Lockley is second on the team with 48 assists on the year, good enough for 24th in the league. He is one of two Owls, the other being Tyler Hooker, to record over 150 points (191), 40 assists (48) and 10 steals (20) on the year. He is also third on the squad for blocks with 16.

At The Stripe
The Owls have been one of the hottest shooting teams from the free throw line during ASUN play, shooting 70 percent or better in all but three games. In conference play, KSU is second in the league shooting 75.3 percent at the line.

The Owls are fifth overall in the league with 355 made free throws. KSU has recorded 20 or more free throws in three games, including 31 against Eastern Kentucky, a mark that is tied for third most all-time in a single-game.

KSU's 69.7 shooting percentage from the free throw line this year would rank among the top-10 DI single-season performances.

Tyler Hooker has been a major factor in the Owls production at the stripe, leading the conference with 137 made free throws on the year, one of four players with over 100 made buckets. He is also ranked fourth in the league shooting 84.0 percent at the line. He has not missed more than two free throws in a game all year, shooting less than 60 percent at the line only once, going 1-of-2 at Samford.

Hooker broke the century mark on the year after going 13-of-14 from the charity stripe at North Alabama, tying his career-high set earlier this season against EKU.

With 137 made free throws on the year, Hooker is currently ranked third on the KSU DI single-season record list. Hooker also ranks among the top-10 scorers for career made free throws, recording 265 free throws to rank eighth. This year he has made 10 or more free throws in three games.

Bryson Lockley has been another clutch shooter at the line with 69 made free throws to rank tied for eighth in the league. 

Put It In Park
Junior Transfer Bobby Parker has been a revelation during ASUN play, scoring 10 or more points in seven of the last eight games. During league play, he is averaging 12.6 points per game, compared to 6.5 points during the non-conference slate, to rank 15th in the league.

Parker has made at least two three-pointers in the last six games, including a 6-of-7 performance at Jacksonville for 20 points. The Crete, Ill., native earned the Owls' first weekly award of the year this past Monday, being named the ASUN Newcomer of the Week.

Parker leads the team shooting 41.1 percent from the floor which ranks 23rd in the league, while ranked 10th with a 37.9 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

In league play, Parker has netted 24 three-pointers to rank tied for sixth in the conference.

From Long Distance!
Danny Lewis added his name to the long list of single-game three-point shooting performances this season after going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc at North Florida. Lewis is the fourth Owl this year to record five or more three-pointers in a single-game, setting a new career-high with his five treys.

Bobby Parker is the only Owl to record five or more three-pointers in a game twice this year, shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc to rank 10th in the conference. In KSU's recent game at Jacksonville, he became the third Owl this season to net six treys in a single-game.

Parker, Tyler Hooker and Kosta Jankovic have all recorded six three-pointers in a game this year, the second most treys made in a single-game in KSU DI history.

At Yale, Jankovic went 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, missing his first three-pointer halfway through the second half, while Hooker went 6-of-10 against Tennessee Tech.

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

Parker is currently ranked 22nd in the league with 33 made three-pointers this season while Hooker is 23rd with 32.

Oh Danny Boy
Freshman transfer Danny Lewis has found his groove as of late, netting 10 or more points in six of the last seven games.

Lewis, who began conference play averaging only three points over the first three games, is now averaging 12 points per game over the current seven-game stretch.

The Atlanta, Ga., native is currently averaging 9.3 points per game, one of three Owls to average over nine points per game. 

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).

All five of KSU's wins this season have come in the Convocation Center.

Looking Ahead
The Owls hit the road for their final road stretch of the regular season, taking on FGCU Saturday (Feb. 23) at 7 p.m.

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