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The Hilltoppers enter the matchup facing the Owls standing at 10-6 overall with a 1-2 mark in CUSA coming off a 73-67 loss hosting Jax State on Thursday. Enoch Kalambay led the way for WKU in Thursday's loss, charting a career-high 24 points off 7-for-17 shooting from the field with a 3-of-6 mark from beyond the arc and a perfect 7-of-7 mark from the stripe. The senior guard from Quebec added five boards, one assist and a block in the career-best effort.
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Freshman guard Julius Thedford followed with 17 points off 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe with four rebounds and a steal. The 17-point effort marked a sixth-straight game the Memphis native has charted in double figures. Thedford has accounted for double-digit point totals in 12 of the Tops' 16 games this season.
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Kennesaw State enters Saturday's game standing at 9-6 overall with a 1-1 mark in league play. The Owls are coming off an 84-79 loss on the road at Middle Tennessee on Thursday. Freshman guard Adrian Wooley led the team in scoring with 24 points off 7-for-14 from the field and 9-of-10 at the stripe with six rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal. Wooley charts as the Owls' second-leading scorer and the fifth-leading scorer in CUSA with 17.7 points per contest.Â
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GAME INFO
WKU (10-6, 1-2 CUSA) vs. Kennesaw State (9-6, 1-1 CUSA)
Saturday, Jan. 11 | 2 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
Watch:Â ESPN+Â (Jeff Hem & Hal Schmitt)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee & Jim Pickens)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats | StatBroadcast
Tickets: $10 Seats | WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Game Notes:Â Media Center
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ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently averages 78.3 points per game
- WKU ranks 15th in the nation in defensive rebounding with 28.81 per contest
- The Tops rank 34th in the nation in steals with 9.2 per contest and a total of 147 on the year
- WKU ranks 75th in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .410% clip shooting from the field
- WKU is currently fourth in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 74.5 possessions per 40 minutes
- The Tops rank 99th in the nation in fastbreak points with 12.44 per game
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and ranks sixth in CUSA for scoring with 17.0 points per contest; McHenry's 32 steals (2.0/G) are second most in CUSA and 43rd most in the nation
- McHenry holds the conference's eighth best FG% (min # attempts) at .405%
- McHenry touts the third-best free-throw percentage in CUSA with a .825% (47-of-57) mark from the stripe; the senior guard also holds a .330% shooting clip from three-point range off the most attempts and most made threes on the team (33-of-100)
- McHenry's 33 made three-pointers ranks 9th in CUSA
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and charts second in the league in defensive rebounding with 93 (5.8/G) on the year, good for 68th most in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts sixth in CUSA in total rebounds with 106 (6.6/G) on the year
- Marshall Jr. charts second on the team and is tied for 14th in CUSA in total blocks with 11 on the year
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and is tied for 10th in CUSA in total blocks with 12 on the year
- Freshman Julius Thedford is currently the team's second-leading scorer and ranks 12th in CUSA in total points with 206 on the season; the native of Memphis averages 12.9 points per contest and holds a tie for 13th most made threes in the league with 27 totalÂ
- Jalen Jackson leads the team and charts 19th in CUSA in assists with 34 (2.1/G) on the year
SERIES INFORMATION
Saturday will mark the third-ever meeting between WKU and Kennesaw State, with the Tops currently holding a 2-0 advantage all-time in the series dating back to 2006. The Hilltoppers defeated the Owls, 95-55, on the road in Kennesaw in the first-ever meeting between the programs on Nov. 11, 2006. WKU posted another victory over KSU in the next matchup between the teams the following year, securing a 96-61 win in Bowling Green on Nov. 9, 2007. A win would improve the Tops' record facing the Owls to 3-0 all-time and 2-0 at home in Diddle Arena.
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SCOUTING THE OWLS
- Kennesaw State enters Saturday's game leading CUSA in scoring at 81.1 points per contest, good for 61st most in the nation
- Junior guard Simeon Cottle leads the Owls in scoring and currently charts as the third-leading scorer in CUSA with 18.6 points per contest; Cottle holds the league's top free-throw percentage at .941% (64-of-68)
- Freshman guard Adrian Wooley charts second on the team and fifth in CUSA in scoring with 17.7 points per game; the native of Tuscaloosa has garnered CUSA Freshman of the Week merit five times this season
- Wooley and Cottle rank sixth and seventh in CUSA in assists respectively, with Wooley averaging 3.5 per game (53 total) and Cottle averaging 3.3 per game (50 total)
- KSU stands at 1-1 in CUSA play coming off a narrow road loss to Middle Tennessee on Thursday, and an 83-71 win over Jax State last SaturdayÂ
- The Owls lead CUSA and rank sixth in the nation in combined team rebounds with 644 on the year and 42.9 per game
- KSU ranks first in CUSA and 15th in the nation in offensive rebounding with 218 total and 14.5 per game
- KSU ranks third in CUSA and 20th in the nation in defensive rebounding with 426 total and 28.4 per game
Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) and visit wkusports.com for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball as the team continues its 2024-25 campaign.
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