Wednesday, December 2
7:30 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (2-0, 0-0) at UAB (2-0, 0-0)
Links: CUSATV | Live Stats
Location: Bartow Arena | Birmingham, Ala.
Game Notes: KSU | UAB

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season, opening their two-game road trip at UAB Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The showdown against the Blazers marks the first true test for the Owls with UAB sitting at 2-0 on the year after sizable victories over Alcorn State and Southeastern Louisiana.

» The Owls are coming off a historic victory over Toccoa Falls this past Saturday, setting Division I program records for points (106), victory margin (62), three-pointers (18) and assists (28). Four Owls finished the game in double-figures led by Spencer Rodgers with 21 points after finishing 6-for-7 from three-point range.

» Four Owls notched at least three assists against Toccoa Falls led by a career-high eight form Terrell Burden and six from Kasen Jennings. Burden (12) and Jennings (9) rank fourth and fifth respectively in the ASUN for total assists with Burden's 12 making him one of four players to hit double-digits so far this season.

» Spencer Rodgers (17.0), Chris Youngblood (16.0) and Kasen Jennings (10.5) are all averaging double-figures after the first two games of the season, putting them among the top-20 scorers in the league. Rodgers ranks fifth in the ASUN followed by Youngblood in a tie for seventh. The duo are two of three players to rank among the top-15 scorers while averaging less than 20 minutes played per game.

» Kasen Jennings earned his first career start against Toccoa Falls and while the spotlight has shined on Spencer Rodgers and Chris Youngblood for their scoring, the freshman has been one of the most consistent Owls across the board so far this year. Jennings is third on the team, 17th in the ASUN, for scoring, second for assists and first for steals all while averaging four rebounds per game. Jennings leads the conference for total steals with seven while ranked fifth for assists.

» KSU is one of the top rebounding teams in the league after two games, averaging 47.5 boards per game. Seven Owls are averaging four or more rebounds on the year led by Alex Peterson who averages 6.5 per game. Peterson is tied for sixth in the league and is one of 16 players to pull down at least 10 rebounds through the early part of the year. 

BRING YOUR UMBRELLAS
The Owls have made it rain in the Convocation Center, shooting over 50 percent in their first two games of the season while netting 27 three-pointers. KSU's 55.6 shooting percentage against Toccoa Falls this past Saturday is the Owls' best shooting performance since shooting 56.9 percent at Lipscomb in February of 2018.

Apart from the season-opener, the Owls have only shot over 50 percent one other time over the previous two seasons.

KSU drained a Division I program record 18 three-pointers in its win over Toccoa Falls with six Owls netting two or more treys. Spencer Rodgers led the way going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc, 5-for-5 in the first half alone, putting him one triple shy of tying the single-game record.

The Owls' 27 three-pointers over the first two games is already more than the first eight games combined of the 2019-20 season. Both Rodgers and Chris Youngblood rank tied for fourth in the ASUN with eight made three-pointers on the year despite playing in nearly half as many minutes as the rest of the top-10.

Saturday's game also set DI records for points scored (106) and winning margin (62). The Owls' 106 points scored marked only the fourth time since moving to Division I that KSU has hit the century mark and the first time since the 2016 season.

Nine Owls are currently shooting 50 percent or better over the first two games.

ROGER RODGERS
Junior Transfer Spencer Rodgers has been deadly in his first two games wearing the Black and Gold, shooting 75 percent from the floor. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native went 7-for-8 against Toccoa Falls, 6-for-7 from three-point range. He did not miss a shot until two minutes into the second half, going 5-for-5, all three-pointers, in the first period.

Rodgers finished Saturday's game with a team-high 21 points, averaging 17 over the first two games.

Currently he ranks fifth in the ASUN and 20th in the NCAA shooting 66.7 percent from beyond the arc, leading all shooters in the league with 10 or more attempts. His eight three-pointers, along with freshman Chris Youngblood, puts him at 28th in the country.

RETURN OF THE MACKS
The 2020-21 season-opener marked the return of breakout players Terrell Burden and Armani Harris after suffering season-ending injuries in 2019-20, and so far the duo have not missed a beat.

Burden is averaging 6.0 points per game over the first two games, shooting 5-for-6 from the floor. Off the ball he leads the Owls with 12 assists, recording a career-high eight against Toccoa Falls. He is one of four players in the ASUN with double-digit assists on the year. A tremendous ball handler, Burden has committed only two turnovers so far this season, ranking him 15th in the country for his assist-turnover ratio.

Despite averaging less than 15 minutes per game, Harris has netted 13 points across the two games while pulling down eight rebounds.

Both Burden (14) and Harris (8) appeared in less than 15 games their freshmen seasons but remained some of the top Owls in multiple categories.

Burden was one of the Owl's top scorers a year ago, averaging 9.5 points per game while netting double-digits seven times. He was the Owls' leading scorer in five games, including a career-high 21-point performance against Wofford. Despite playing in half the games, Burden still finished last season ranked third on the team for total assists, dishing out 30 dimes.

Harris saw his freshman season cut short after just eight games, appearing in all eight games to open the 2019-20 slate. In that short span, Harris was a force in the paint averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. He recorded seven or more boards in five of his eight games, including a season-high 15 against FIU. Harris also averaged 7.1 points per game, hitting double-figures in three games. He recorded his first career double-double in his final appearance against FIU, netting 10 points and 15 rebounds.

THE THREE AMIGOS
The highly touted Georgia trio of Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings have certainly lived up to the hype over the first two games of the year. Both Youngblood and Jennings are averaging over 10 points per game with the trio combining to record over a third of KSU's total points scored.

Youngblood made a major impact in his debut almost instantly, draining three straight three-pointers in just over a minute and a half after hitting the floor. He led the team with 17 points in just 15 minutes of action against Carver. Youngblood ranks seventh in the ASUN for scoring, making him the sole freshmen to rank among the league's top-15.

He is also tied with fellow Owl Spencer Rodgers with eight made three-pointers on the year, good enough for fourth in the conference.

East Coweta teammate Stroud had a slow start in KSU's season-opener, netting just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, but was big off the ball with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. He upped his game against Toccoa Falls going 4-for-5 for 10 points while adding another four rebounds and two assists. He's second on the team and tied for fourth in the ASUN with four total steals.

Crosstown rival turned teammate Jennings holds the team and ASUN lead for steals with seven, picking up three in KSU's season-opener and four against Toccoa Falls. Jennings has hit double-digits in both games so far this year to average 10.5 points per game. He is just behind Burden with nine assists on the season to put him at fifth in the league, while also pulling down eight total rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Owls close out their road trip Friday evening in Omaha, Neb., taking on Creighton at 5:00 p.m. ET.

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