The Kentucky State University men's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak Monday, and will step away from Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action with a home game against Salem University 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

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It's the second meeting between the two teams as the Tigers knocked off Kentucky State, 73-67, in the opening round of the Joe Manchin Tournament, hosted by Salem.

THE TEAMS: Kentucky State (7-11 overall, 5-6 SIAC) is currently fifth in the West Division of the SIAC, two games behind Lane College and LeMoyne-Owen College.

Salem University (11-7 overall) returns to action after posting an 85-79 victory over SIAC-rival Central State last week.

THE COACHES: Jamaal Jackson is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater. Kentucky State has been one of the top scoring teams in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference under Jackson. He came to KSU following a stint at Bluefield State College, where he led them to increased win totals in every season. The same can be said about his tenure at Stillman, where the Tigers improved upon their win totals.

Adam Williams, a former guard at the University of Kentucky and Marshall University, is in his third season as the Salem University head coach.

THE PLAYERS: Kentucky State boasts two of the top four scorers in the SIAC as senior Kevin Hayes leads the conference with 18.8 points and senior Ditalion Battle is fourth with 17.1 points. Hayes has scored double figures in every game this season, and reached the 20-point plateau nine times this season.

Battle has scored at least 20 points in eight of the last 11 games, and is averaging 21.4 points in those games.  He leads the 'Breds with 54 assists and is third on the team with 4.7 boards. The Cincinnati native is also fifth in the SIAC in assist to turnover margin.

Senior forward Kevin Sherrell is coming off his second double-double of the season, and is scoring 9.7 points with a team-high 5.7 rebounds.

Salem has five players averaging double digits, however, two of those players haven't played in the last five games. Senior forward Malik Toppin is averaging a double-double with 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, while shooting a team-high 68.8 percent from the floor. His shooting percentage is the second-best in Division II. He is ninth nationally in rebounding.

Senior Christopher Shields is second on the team with 13.4 points, while Fonz Hale is adding 10.1 points. Hale is launching a team-high 112 three-point attempts, connecting on 39.3 percent of his attempts. Malique Ross is dishing out a team-high 105 assists.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Kentucky State University athletics is represented on Facebook (KSUThorobreds), Twitter (@KYSUAthletics) and Instagram (@KYSUAthletics). For your gameday coverage, follow on Twitter (@KYSUGameday) and on Instagram (KYSU_Gameday). Follow all the happenings of Kentucky State University on social media by using the hashtags "#BredToWin" & "KSUForward."
 
UP NEXT: Kentucky State University kicks off a crucial two-game SIAC weekend, hosting Lane College and LeMoyne-Owen College Saturday and Monday, respectively. KSU plays Lane 3 p.m. Saturday for KSU's Bred Experience Day.