The Kentucky State University men's basketball team takes on West Division champion Miles College 3 p.m. Saturday in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action. The athletic program will honor the contributions of its four seniors, Ditalion Battle, Kevin Hayes, David Jelks and Austin Sherrell, in a pregame ceremony.

THE LAST MEETING: The Kentucky State University men's basketball team didn't hit a field goal for the last six-plus minutes in falling to Miles College, 63-49, in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at the Knox-Windham Gym on January 15.

During the lengthy drought the Thorobreds were outscored 16-3 as the Golden Bears took over the contest. It also came on the heels of a KSU scoring run that catapulted them back into the game.

Trailing by 13 points early in the second half, Kentucky State got hot. Junior Grant Goode got the run going with a three pointer, and then a fastbreak dunk by senior Ditalion Battle had the momentum wearing green uniforms. A three-pointer by Battle capped the 11-0 spurt, Kentucky State's deficit was down to two, and Miles was calling a timeout.
Senior Kevin Hayes led the team with 12 points, while Battle added 10 points. Senior Austin Sherrell pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go along with six points.

THE TEAMS: With two games remaining, all at home, Kentucky State University (11-13 overall, 9-7 SIAC) stands alone in fourth place of the Western Division. The Thorobreds have an outside chance of vaulting up to second place with a pair of wins and losses by LeMoyne-Owen and Lane.

Miles (16-7 overall, 13-3 SIAC) has already solidified the West Division championship with two regular season games remaining. The Golden Bears are on a three-game winning streak, and have won five of the last six. They come into today's game allowing a SIAC-best 56.0 points per game, which is more than eight points better than the second place team.

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.

Fred Watson is in his first season as the Miles College head coach.

THE PLAYERS: Kentucky State boasts two of the top four scorers in the SIAC as senior Ditalion Battle leads the conference with 18.8 points. After a slow start, Battle is averaging nearly 23 points in the last 17 games. He has tallied at least 20 points in 12 of the last 16 games. The Cincinnati native leads the 'Breds with 78 assists and is third on the team with 4.9 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 fourth with 17.3 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 six games to push his season average to 10.4.

Devonte Fuller is leading the Golden Bears in scoring with 11.8 points per game, while shooting 41.9 percent from the floor. He is second on the team in three-point shooting (35.4 percent) and leads the Golden Bears in free throw percentage (81.1 percent). His 5.5 rebounds are also a team-high.

Jelani Watson-Gayle is second on the team with 10.3 points, while hoisting up a team-high 124 three-pointers. Damian Archer is dishing out a team-best 79 assists and is third with 9.2 points.

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 concludes the regular season with a 7:30 p.m. meeting with Tuskegee.