The Kentucky State University men's basketball team begins its quest for the 2019 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship with a 6:30 p.m. EST meeting with Paine College.

THE TEAMS: Kentucky State University (13-13 overall, 11-7 SIAC) earned the fourth seed in the West Division. The Thorobreds enter the SIAC tournament on a league-best six-game winning streak.

Paine (7-18 overall, 5-12 SIAC), the fifth seed in the East Division, enters the game losers in six of its last eight games, and an 0-12 record away from home.

THE LAST MEETING: A three-pointer at the buzzer fell short and the Kentucky State University men's basketball team suffered a 77-74 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss to Paine College on January 2.
It's a tough loss considering the Thorobreds had all of the momentum when senior Ditalion Battle's three-pointer at the buzzer capped a 26-2 run to end the first half, giving them a seven-point lead going into the break.

Kentucky State was 7-of-7 from the floor, including 5-of-5 from three-point range, during the five-minute run.
KSU maintained its lead until a free throw with 2:43 left, and the lead exchanged hands six times down the stretch. The Lions, who attempted just two free throws in the first half, connected on 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch and paraded to the line 19 times in the final 20 minutes.

Battle led the team with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting, seven assists and six rebounds. Sherrell added 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, while senior Kevin Hayes recorded 13 points.

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.

Daryl Stinson is in his second season as the head coach, and his fourth season with the men's basketball program.

THE PLAYERS: Kentucky State boasts two of the top four scorers in the SIAC as senior Ditalion Battle leads the conference with 19.3 points. He was named first team All-SIAC for his efforts. The Cincinnati native leads the 'Breds with 82 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 17.5 points. Hayes has scored double figures in all but one game, and reached the 20-point plateau 11 times this season. Hayes picked up honorable mention SIAC laurels. Senior Austin Sherrell is averaging 13.8 points per game over the last eight games to push his season average to 10.3.
Sophomore Cameron Hayes, a 6-8 forward, leads Paine offensively with 16.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. In the game earlier this season, Hayes led the way with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Junior Charles Moore is averaging 11.0 points, while senior Khalen Pinkett is dishing out a team-high 74 assists.

THE SIAC TOURNAMENT: Kentucky State is 0-2 in the conference tournament under Jamaal Jackson. 

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: The winner of the game plays #1E Morehouse 8:45 EST Wednesday.