Tuesday, February 26
7 p.m.  – Kennesaw State (5-24, 2-12) at Liberty (12-17, 7-7)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. | Vines Center
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats 
Game Notes: KSU | Liberty

Top Storylines
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team takes on league-leading Liberty in its final road game of the regular season Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
» Bryson Lockley is coming off his fifth double-double of the season at FGCU, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds against the Eagles. Lockley has logged double-digit boards in six games this year and is currently tied for sixth in the ASUN averaging 7.5 rebounds per game.
» After recording a program record 12 blocks against North Alabama, the Owls logged five blocks at FGCU to mark the ninth time in the last 10 games KSU has recorded three or more blocks. Isaac Mbuyamba has 33 blocks on the year to rank tied for fifth in the conference and tied for 10th on the all-time single-season record list.
» Tyler Hooker managed to keep his double-digit streak alive after netting 11 points at FGCU. The Simpsonville, S.C., native leads the league with 544 points scored this season, one of three players with over 500 points. That mark is currently good enough for ninth on the KSU single-season record list.
» With two games left to play, the Owls are still in the hunt for postseason play with the final spot in the ASUN Tournament more than likely coming down to KSU's final game of the season against Stetson.
» After four seasons at the helm of the Owls, Head Coach Al Skinner will step down following the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign.

The Matchup
Liberty enters Tuesday's game looking to secure the No. 1 overall seed in the ASUN Tournament. The Flames are currently tied with Lipscomb at the top of the table with a 12-2 conference record while going 23-6 overall. Liberty dropped their most recent game at North Florida, 75-70, to put them in a tie with Lipscomb for No. 1 in the league.

In their first season in the ASUN, the Flames have been dominant leading the league and ranking 15th in the country with a 48.9 field goal percentage. Liberty also has a stifling defense allowing an average of 60.9 points per game to rank seventh in the NCAA.

Three players are currently averaging 11 points or more per game for LU, Scottie James (12.3), Caleb Homesley (12.2) and Lovell Cabbil (11.4). James also ranks among the league's best for rebounds averaging 8.9 per game to rank third in the league, one of three players to average more than eight boards per game.

Senior Lovell Cabbil Jr., is extremely active off the ball for the Flames, ranking tied for 10th in the league with 75 assists and seventh with 40 steals. 

Last Time Out
Bryson Lockley notched his fifth double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome a slow start for the Owls as FGCU utilized a big first half lead to cruise to a 78-56 win.

Bobby Parker got the night started as the Owls and Eagles traded buckets throughout the opening minutes of the game. FGCU took the lead behind a pair of three-pointers, leading 14-9 at the under-12 media timeout.

Out of the break, the Eagles put together an 8-0 run to push their lead to double-digits, 22-9, at the 9:23 mark. KSU got back within single-digits, 22-14, with a 5-0 run capped off by a jumper from Kyle Clarke with 8:16 to play.

That would be as close as KSU would get though as FGCU sank three straight three-pointers to spark a 20-1 run for the Eagles. The Owls went nearly eight minutes without a field goal to close out the first half before a steal and breakaway dunk from Bryson Lockley capped off a 5-0 run for the Owls to end the period trailing 42-20.

Danny Lewis looked to spark something for the Owls in the second half, opening the period with back-to-back treys. FGCU answered each of KSU's attempts to mount a comeback, maintaining a 20-point lead. The Eagles kept their foot on the gas with a 14-1 run to lead 64-33 at the 11:44 mark.

Both teams traded buckets before back-to-back three-pointers from Kosta Jankovic and Hooker opened an 8-0 run for the Owls to make it 69-45 at the seven-minute mark. FGCU pushed its lead back to 30 points with a 7-0 run, but the Owls closed out the game on a 9-0 run to earn the final score of 78-56.

On Lock Down
Bryson Lockley has done it all for the Owls this season recording his fifth double-double of year in KSU's last game at FGCU. Lockley was two points shy of tying his career-high with 15 points against the Eagles while logging his sixth game this season with double-digit rebounds.

The Houston, Texas native has pulled down seven or more boards in nine of the last 11 games and ranks sixth in the ASUN averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. He is one of five players in the conference to record over 215 rebounds on the year.

His 218 rebounds on the year marks only the second time in the last six seasons that an Owl has recorded more than 200 boards in a single-season.

He has nearly doubled his scoring production from a year ago, averaging 7.4 points per game compared to 3.7 last season. This season he has scored in double-figures in nine games, compared to only two games during the 2017-18 campaign.

Lockley is second on the team with 50 assists on the year, good enough to be tied for 24th in the league. He is one of two Owls, the other being Tyler Hooker, to record over 200 points (216), 40 assists (50) and 10 steals (21) on the year. He is also third on the squad for blocks with 20, recording at least one in the last six games to jump into a tie for 11th in the conference.

The Block Is Hot
KSU has been dominating the rim lately recording three or more blocks in nine of the last 10 games, including a program record 12 blocks against North Alabama.

Five Owls logged at least two blocks against UNA to help set the new single-game program record. KSU's 12 blocks is three stuffs shy of the ASUN single-game record. Tyler Hooker and Ugo Obineke each recorded career-highs with three and two blocks, respectively.

As a team, the Owls are fourth in the conference averaging 3.5 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 at least one block in six straight games, including a career-high four stuffs at North Florida. Lockley is now the third Owl to rank among the ASUN's top-15 for total blocks, jumping into a tie for 11th with 20.

Antonio Spencer is currently ninth with 26 blocks, recording 16 during league play, while Isaac Mbuyamba leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference with 33 total blocks.

Mbuyamba has recorded two or more blocks in back-to-back games to put him in a tie with 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 DI single-game record for KSU, falling just one block shy of the overall program record of seven set by Ron Ruffin in 1995.

With 60 blocks in his career, the Portland, Ore., product has jumped into a tie for ninth on the KSU all-time blocks list with Herman Smith (1986-90).

Mbuyamba, Spencer and Lockley are three of the 14 players in the league to record at least 20 blocks on the year.

Balling Out
Tyler Hooker continues to take his game to the next level this season, scoring in double-figures in all but 10 games, including 10 games with over 20 points. He is currently averaging 18.8 points per game to rank second in the league.

The Simpsonville, S.C., native is one of three players in the conference to net over 500 points on the year, leading the league with 544 total points. Following his 20 points against North Alabama, Hooker jumped into ninth on the all-time single-season points scored record list.

Hooker hit 1,000 career points scored this year, with 1,033 points and counting throughout his three years at KSU.

Part of Hooker's success this year can be attributed to his accuracy from the free throw line, leading the league with 145 made buckets from the charity stripe, a mark that ranks 26th in the NCAA. He is the only player in the league with over 130 made free throws. Hooker is currently shooting 82.9 percent at the line to rank fifth in the conference.

Rounding out his stellar performance this season, Hooker ranks fifth in the league for both assists (87) and steals (45). He has recorded four or more assists in eight of the last nine games.

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

The Owls surpassed 1,000 rebounds on the season following their game against North Alabama. After pulling down 41 boards at FGCU, KSU moved into fifth on the DI single-season record list with 1,065 rebounds this season. That total ranks 43rd in the country.

The Owls pulled down a season-high 51 rebounds in their 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 7.5 rebounds per game while Isaac Mbuyamba (5.3 rpg) and Tyler Hooker (4.7 rpg) rank 13th and 20th, respectively.

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

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 four games. In conference play, KSU is second in the league shooting 74.5 percent at the line.

The Owls are tied for third overall in the league with 380 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 is fourth in the league and 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 145 made free throws on the year, one of four players with over 100 made buckets. That mark is good enough for 26th in the NCAA.

He is also ranked fifth in the league shooting 82.9 percent at the line. Hooker 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 145 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 273 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 76 made free throws to rank ninth in the league. Lockley is shooting 67.3 percent from the line to rank 17th in the league.

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

Lewis, who began conference play averaging only three points over the first three games, is now averaging 12.2 points per game over the current nine-game stretch.

The Atlanta, Ga., native is currently averaging 9.7 points per game, one of three Owls to average over nine points per game.

After going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc at FGCU, Lewis jumped into ninth in the league with a 36.5 shooting percentage from three-point range this year.

Bracketology
The Owls are not out of postseason contention yet with two games left to play. KSU can still slide into the final spot in the ASUN Tournament, needing a win and a Stetson loss.

If both KSU and the Hatters lose their next games, the No. 8 seed would come down to the final game of the regular season. If the Owls can beat Stetson in the regular season finale, the two teams would have the same league record with KSU winning out on tiebreakers to earn the final spot in the conference tournament. 

Skinner To Step Down Following Season
After four seasons at the helm of the Owls, Head Coach Al Skinner will step down following the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign.

Skinner is currently 40-81 over his four seasons at KSU, leading the Owls to 25 wins from 2014-17, tying the best three-year stretch since moving to Division I (25 wins from 2005-08). The Owls best finish in the ASUN came during the 2016-17 season when KSU went 7-7 in league play to tie USC Upstate for fourth. 

Looking Ahead
The Owls close out the regular season in the Convocation Center, hosting Stetson for senior night and a potential spot in the ASUN Tournament Friday night at 7 p.m.

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