Tuesday, December 22
2:00 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (3-4, 0-0) vs Mercer (6-1, 0-0)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Location: Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga.
Game Notes: KSU | Mercer

TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State men's basketball team closes out the 2019-20 non-conference slate Tuesday afternoon, hosting in-state rival Mercer at 2 p.m. This will be the first time the Bears have come to the Convocation Center since the 2016 season, with the Owls looking to snap an eight-game losing streak to Mercer.

» The Owls head into the game coming off the heels of a heartbreaking last second loss to Samford this past Saturday. Brandon Stroud recorded his first career double-double, and first for KSU this season, against the Bulldogs with a career-high 11 points and 11 rebounds. Stroud has pulled down five or more boards in the last three games to rank second on the team averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. He is also third on the team averaging 6.9 points per game while ranked seventh in the ASUN with nine total steals.

» Freshman Chris Youngblood continued his scoring ways, leading the team with 19 points against Samford, his fourth straight game in double-figures. He is currently ranked second on the team averaging 14.9 points per game, placing him sixth in the ASUN. Youngblood is the only true freshman to rank in the league's top-20 for scoring. He has hit 18 total three-pointers on the year, ranking sixth in the ASUN averaging 2.6 treys per game.

» The Owls have shown off a lockdown defense so far this year, holding their last three opponents to less than 70 points. KSU held Samford to 25 percent shooting in the second half of Saturday's game, forcing the Bulldogs to go 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. KSU remains one of the top defensive teams in the league holding five opponents to less than 70 points to rank third in the ASUN with a 63.0 points against per game average. The Owls also rank second in the conference holding teams to an average shooting percentage of 40.4. The KSU defense ranks third in the league for both rebounds (39.0) and steals (6.9) per game. The Owls are one of three teams in the ASUN to average 39 or more rebounds per game.

» Both Spencer Rodgers and Chris Youngblood rank among the ASUN's top three-point shooters, netting 19 and 18 treys respectively. Rodgers currently ranks fourth in the league averaging 2.7 three-pointers per game while Youngblood is tied for sixth with a 2.6 average. As a team the Owls rank fifth in the league averaging 8.14 three-pointers per game. KSU has made at least five treys in all but one game with its 57 total three-pointers already more than the first 13 games of the 2019-20 season combined.

JOLLY RODGERS
Junior transfer Spencer Rodgers has been an offensive force for the Black and Gold, netting double-figures in every game so far while shooting a team-high 48.8 percent from the floor. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native ranks third in the league for scoring and is one of eight players in the league to net over 100 points with at least one game in hand on the rest of the top-10. 

Rodgers is averaging 16.0 points per game, recording a season-high 21 points against Toccoa Falls and Dalton State. He finished 7-for-8 against Toccoa Falls, 6-for-7 from three-point range, while not missing a shot until two minutes into the second half. He has netted 20 or more points three times this season and is one of three players in the league to average 16 or more points per game.

Rodgers' 19 made three-pointers currently puts him in seventh th in the conference just ahead of teammate Chris Youngblood.

Off the ball, Rodgers has steadily improved his game recording five or more rebounds in four of the last five games. He tied his career-high with seven boards in back-to-back games against Dalton State and Belmont. Rodgers is also second on the team for total assists (14) while recording seven steals and three blocks.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
The highly touted Georgia trio of Chris Youngblood, Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings have certainly lived up to the hype in the early part of the year. Youngblood and Stroud are second and third, respectively, on the team for scoring 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 and hasn't slowed down since. The Sharpsburg, Ga., native has hit double-figures in six of seven games, recording a career-high 24 points against Dalton State.

Youngblood ranks sixth in the ASUN for scoring averaging 14.9 points per game. He is the only true freshman to rank among the league's top-20 scorers. He is also one of eight players to record at least 100 points on the year (104), with at least one game in hand on the other seven. A sharpshooter from beyond the arc, Youngblood has netted 18 three-pointers on the year, ranking him eighth in the league.

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 has continued to up his game, recording 10 points in the very next game against Toccoa Falls, going 4-for-5 from the floor.

Stroud recorded the team's first double-double of the year against Samford with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He is now second only to Alex Peterson averaging 5.4 rebounds per game having pulled down six or more boards in the last three straight games. He also leads the team and ranks seventh in the ASUN with nine steals.

Crosstown rival turned teammate Jennings is second on the team with eight steals despite being sidelined for the last three games. He is one of three players in the conference to average at least two steals per game.

Jennings has hit double-digits in two games this year to average 7.0 points per game. He is one of four Owls, including Terrell Burden, Spencer Rodgers and Youngblood, with at least 10 assists (11) on the season. He pulled down a team and career-high seven rebounds at UAB and is one of four Owls to average at least four rebounds per game (4.3).

BRING YOUR UMBRELLAS
The Owls have made it rain in the Convocation Center and from beyond the arc throughout the early part of the year. The Owls are shooting an average of over 50 percent on their home floor with 42 made three-pointers. 

KSU has shot over 50 percent from the floor twice this season, a feat only accomplished one other time over the previous two seasons.

The Owls' 57 three-pointers over the first seven games is already more than the first 13 games combined of the 2019-20 season. Both Chris Youngblood and Spencer Rodgers rank among the ASUN's top-10 with 19 and 18 made three-pointers on the year. They are two of 13 players in the league to net at least 15 treys so far this season.

KSU drained a Division I program record 18 three-pointers in its win over Toccoa Falls with six Owls netting two or more treys. 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 game against Toccoa Falls 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.

ON LOCK
The Owls have held three straight teams to less than 70 points, including season-lows for Belmont and Samford. Both the Bruins and Bulldogs were averaging over 80 points per game before squaring off with KSU. By comparison, the Owls held only six opponents to less than 70 points last season.

As a team, the Owls are holding opponents to an average of 63.0 points per game, the third-lowest average in the ASUN. KSU also ranks second in the league holding opponents to a 40.4 shooting percentage. 

The Owls rank third in the league for both rebounds (39.0) and steals (6.9) per game. Five Owls have recorded at least five steals on the year with Brandon Stroud (T-7th), Kasen Jennings (T-11th), Spencer Rodgers (T-17th) and Chris Youngblood (T-17th) all ranked among the league's top-20 for total swipes.

Cole LaRue ranks seventh in the conference for total blocks with six while the Owls rank fourth overall in the ASUN averaging 3.6 stuffs per game.

NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM
It is a completely revamped Owl squad hitting the floor in 2020-21 as KSU returns only five players from last season, with only one seeing action in at least 20 games a year ago. KSU welcomes 10 newcomers to the Nest this year, seven freshmen and three transfers.

Only redshirt junior Antonio Spencer and redshirt sophomore Jamie Lewis appeared in more than 15 games last season. Spencer saw action in 23 games, earning 18 starts, while Lewis appeared in all 18 games after becoming eligible midway through the season.

Lewis has started all three games so far this year while Spencer has started two.

The Owls are one of 20 teams in the country that has to replace over 70 percent of its scoring from 2019-20, losing 73.3 percent from last season.

UP NEXT
After a brief holiday vacation, the Owls finally kick off ASUN play hosting Jacksonville Friday (Jan. 1) at 6 p.m.


 

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