The Kentucky State University men's basketball team looks to sweep the season series from Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Central State 7:30 p.m. Monday at the William Exum Center.
THE LAST MEETING: With its opponent on a run, the Kentucky State University defense stepped up lifting the Thorobreds to an 82-69 victory Saturday over rival Central State in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at the Lewis Beacom Gymnasium.
What was once a 10-point lead had been cut to two in a three-minute span, and the momentum was with the streaking Marauders. Kentucky State held CSU to 0-of-5 shooting with three turnovers and pushed the lead to seven. The bulge continue to grow, and was a game-high of 16 points on a steal and thunderous fast-break dunk by senior
Ditalion Battle. During the game-sealing run over the final seven minutes, the 'Breds limited CSU to 3-of-15 shooting and three turnovers.
Three players finished with double figures, led by the 26-point effort by Battle, the SIAC's leading scorer.
David Jelks finished with 20 points for the second straight game, and added a team-high nine rebounds.
Senior
Kevin Hayes added 19 points, three rebounds and three assists, while senior
Austin Sherrell dished out a team-high six assists with eight points and eight rebounds.
THE TEAMS: With three games remaining, all at home, Kentucky State University (10-13 overall, 8-7 SIAC) is tied with Tuskegee for fourth place in the West Division.
Central State (5-20 overall, 3-12 SIAC), after a horrendous start, is playing better as of late. The Marauders are 3-4 in their last seven games. The Marauders have lost 20 games for the first time since the 1996-97 season. They are in a battle for the last spot in the West Division with Spring Hill (3-12 SIAC).
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.
Joseph Price is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Marauders. He has previous head coaching experience from Grambling State University, and served as an assistant coach at numerous Division I institutions, most recently, IUPUI.
THE PLAYERS: Kentucky State boasts two of the top three scorers in the SIAC as senior
Ditalion Battle leads the conference with 18.9 points. After a slow start, Battle is averaging nearly 23 points in the last 16 games. He has tallied at least 20 points in 12 of the last 15 games. The Cincinnati native leads the 'Breds with 70 assists and is third on the team with 4.8 rebounds. Additionally, he is fifth in the SIAC in assist to turnover margin.
Senior
Kevin Hayes, who spent most of the season at the top is currently third with 17.5 points. Hayes has scored double figures in all but one game, and reached the 20-point plateau 10 times this season. Senior
Austin Sherrell is averaging 14.1 points per game over the last five games to push his season average to 10.2.
Three players reached double figures in Saturday's loss, led by Tom Johnson's 18 points. Leading scorer Orion Johnson added 14 points and Malik Fisher 10. Johnson and Martin Oliver finished with seven boards each.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Kentucky State University athletics is represented on Facebook (KSUThorobreds), Twitter (@KYSUAthletics) and Instagram (@KYSUAthletics). For your game day 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."
WHAT'S NEXT: Kentucky State University honors the contributions of its senior class 3 p.m. Saturday as the Thorobreds host Miles. KSU fell to Miles, 63-49, on January 14.
