Saturday, February 9
4:30 p.m.  – Kennesaw State (4-20, 1-8) vs NJIT (18-6, 6-3)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game Notes: KSU

Top Storylines
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team returns to the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon to host NJIT in its annual Pink Day game slated for 4:30 p.m.
» Bobby Parker was on fire from beyond the arc in KSU's last game at Jacksonville, going 6-of-7 from three-point range to tie his career-high while marking the second time this year he's netted five or more three-pointers.
» Isaac Mbuyamba had another dominant night around the rim with five blocks, just one stuff shy of his the DI single-game record he set this season at Gardner-Webb. Mbuyamba ranks fifth in the conference with 28 total blocks on the year.
» Tyler Hooker continues to be one of the hottest shooters in the conference after netting 22 points at JU, his eighth game this season with 20 or more points. Hooker is the only player in the conference to record over 450 points on the year (459) and is ranked second averaging 19.1 points per game.
» Bobby Parker and Danny Lewis have been on fire as of late, recording 10 or more points in five of the last six games. Over the past two games, Parker and Lewis have combined for 14 of KSU's 15 made three-pointers. In ASUN play, Parker is averaging 12 points per game while Lewis averages nine.
» The Owls remain one of the top-rebounding teams in the conference, averaging 36.8 boards per game to rank third. In conference play, that average jumps up to 37.2, good enough for second. Three Owls rank among the league's top-20 for rebounds per game, led by Bryson Lockley in fifth averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.

The Matchup
The Highlanders head to Kennesaw in the midst of a three-game road trip, looking to bounce back after a loss at Liberty last Saturday. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for NJIT, which currently stands at 18-6 overall and 6-3 in ASUN play.

The Highlanders look to secure home court advantage in the ASUN Tournament, currently ranked third overall in the league. 

NJIT won the first meeting between the two teams this season, erasing a seven-point lead for the Owls at the end of the first half to win 72-52. Saturday's game features a showdown of two of the top-three scorers in the league in Tyler Hooker and Zach Cooks who rank second and third respectively. Cooks is one three Highlanders to average over 10 points with a team-high 18 points per game.

Senior Abdul Davis runs the paint for NJIT, averaging 9.6 rebounds per game to lead the league while ranked tied for eighth with 21 blocks.

Last Time Out
Bobby Parker found his groove at Jacksonville, going 6-of-7 from three-point range for 20 points as the Owls carried a 16-point lead into the second half before JU mounted a massive comeback to down KSU 82-73.

Danny Lewis got the Owls going with a three-pointer to open the game, but Stetson Parker got the Owls (4-20, 1-8) rolling to open the game, going 3-of-3 from beyond the arc to give KSU a 13-11 lead at the 15:30 mark. After the Owls and Dolphins (11-14, 4-6) traded buckets, a jump shot from Tyler Hooker sparked an 8-0 run for the Owls to lead 21-13 with just over 10 minutes to go.

Another four straight points from Hooker pushed the Owls' lead to double-figures, 25-15, as the two teams proceeded to go shot-for-shot in the final minutes. Back-to-back layups from Hooker gave KSU its largest lead of the half, 37-25, before a quick layup from JU sent the Owls into halftime with a 10-point lead, 37-27.

Hooker turned up the heat late in the first half after making only one bucket throughout the first 10 minutes, recording 10 points over the next eight minutes to lead the team with 12.

Parker started the second half in similar fashion, knocking down back-to-back threes and going on to record KSU's first eight points of the second period. Following a layup from Hooker to earn KSU's largest lead of the game, 52-36, at the 14:32 mark, the Dolphins began to come alive going on a 7-0 run to cut the lead down to single-digits.

With just under 11 minutes left to play, JU picked up the tempo, going on an 11-0 run to earn its first lead of the game, 57-56, at the nine-minute mark. The Owls fought back to tie it at 60, but a quick 5-0 run gave Jacksonville some breathing room, 65-60.

After a layup from Kyle Clarke, JU extended its lead with a 6-0 run for a 71-62 advantage at the 4:55 mark. KSU attempted to pull even, but the Dolphins managed to answer each Owl bucket to maintain its lead. JU outscored the Owls 55-36 in the second half to earn the final score.

From Long Distance!
Bobby Parker put on yet another display from three-point range in KSU's recent game at Jacksonville, becoming the third Owl this season to net six treys in a single-game. Parker has recorded five or more three-pointers twice this year, shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc to rank 12th in the conference.

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.

Hooker is currently ranked 16th in the league with 32 made three-pointers this season.

Balling Out
Red-shirt junior Tyler Hooker has been on another level this season, scoring 10 or more points in all but one game, 20 or more points in eight contests. In KSU's recent game at North Alabama, he netted a career-high 33-points, his second game this year with 30 or more points, falling just three points shy of tying the KSU DI single-game record.

The Simpsonville, S.C., native ranks second in the ASUN averaging 19.1 points per game and is the only player in the league to net more than 450 points on the year, recording over 300 points in back-to-back seasons.

In ASUN play, Hooker is averaging 20.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, logging five or more rebounds in all but two league games.

If he can continue at this pace, Hooker would become just the fifth Owl in DI history to average over 19 points per game in a single-season. Hooker also has the chance to rank among KSU's top-10 single-season scorers all-time for total points.

So far in his career, Hooker has logged 948 points as an Owl, putting him within range of joining the illustrious 1,000-point club before the season is over.

Not only is he deadly from the floor, but he has been lights out at the free throw line, leading the league with 121 made buckets from the charity stripe while ranked fifth with an 84.0 shooting percentage.

Rounding out his stellar performance this season, Hooker also ranks among the conference's best for steals (6th) and assists (6th).

Heating Up
Transfers Bobby Parker and Danny Lewis have stepped up their games during conference play to become some of KSU's key scorers. Parker and Lewis have each hit double-digits in five of the last six games.

In conference play, Parker is second on the team, 15th in the league, averaging 12.0 points per game, compared to 6.5 points per game during the non-conference slate. Over the past six games, Lewis is averaging 12.0 points per game after averaging only three points throughout the first three games of league play.

Parker has been the Owls best three-point shooter in conference play, netting 19 buckets from beyond the arc to rank tied for sixth in the league.

Both Parker and Lewis have become regular starters for the Owls after getting the nod against Liberty.

Got It On Lock
Bryson Lockley has done it all for the Owls this season, recording his fourth double-double of the year in KSU's game against North Florida, and nearly earning his fifth at Stetson with nine points and nine rebounds. He has recorded at least nine boards in four of the last six games, averaging 8.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in conference play.

Against UNF, Lockley scored a career-high 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds, the fifth time this season he has recorded at least 10 boards.

The Houston, Texas native leads the team and ranks fifth in the ASUN averaging 7.4 rebounds per game. He is one of five players in the conference to record over 175 rebounds on the year.

He has nearly doubled his scoring production from a year ago, averaging 7.3 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 41 assists on the year, good enough for 27th in the league. He is one of two Owls, the other being Tyler Hooker, to record over 100 points (174), 40 assists (41) and 10 steals (15) on the year. He is also third on the squad for blocks with nine.

It's A Block Party!
The Owls recorded 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.

Isaac Mbuyamba logged his second game this year with five or more blocks at Jacksonville, with 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.

Mbuyamba currently ranks fifth in the ASUN with 28 total blocks, needing just five more to tie Devon Kirksey (1997-98) for 10th on the KSU single-season record list.

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

Freshman Antonio Spencer has been a dominating force at the rim as well, recording two or more blocks in three of the last four games, including a career-high three blocks against North Florida.

Spencer and Isaac Mbuyamba are two of 10 players in the league to record at least 20 blocks on the year, combining to record 49 of KSU's 75 blocks this year.

Spencer is currently tied for eighth in the league with 21 blocks this season.

As a team, the Owls are fourth in the conference averaging 3.1 blocks per game having recorded four or more blocks in eight games this season.

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 74.0 percent at the line.

The Owls are fourth overall in the league with 315 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 68.6 shooting percentage from the free throw line would rank among the top-10 DI single-season performances.

Tyler Hooker leads the conference with 121 made free throws on the year, one of three players with over 100 made buckets. He is also ranked fifth 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.

After going 6-of-6 from the line at Jacksonville, Hooker moved into a tie for sixth on the DI single-season record list.

Hooker also ranks among the top-10 scorers for career made free throws, recording 249 free throws to rank ninth. This year he has made 10 or more free throws in three games.

Bryson Lockley has been another clutch shooter at the line with 66 made free throws to rank eighth in the league. 

Now Boarding
So far this year, KSU is averaging 36.8 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.

KSU has recorded 30 or more rebounds 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 fifth in the conference averaging 7.4 rebounds per game while Isaac Mbuyamba (5.3 rpg) and Tyler Hooker (4.7 rpg) rank 14th and 19th, respectively.

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

Like The Energizer Bunny
Tyler Hooker and Bryson Lockley have long-lasting batteries ranking among the ASUN's top-10 for minutes per game.

Hooker ranks second averaging 36.0 minutes per game followed by Lockley in seventh averaging 31.4 minutes per game.

Hooker has played 40 or more minutes in six games this season, including three of the last four games.

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 finished tied for fourth in 2016-17, its best program finish in DI history.

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

Looking Ahead
The Owls head back to Florida to take on the Ospreys of North Florida Wednesday (Feb. 13) at 7 p.m.

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