KENNESAW, Ga. — FIU's men's basketball program is set to take on Kennesaw State, the newest members of Conference USA (CUSA), on Saturday evening on the road.
The Panthers (7-14, 1-7 CUSA) match up with the Owls (12-9, 4-4 CUSA) for the first time as conference foes at 5 p.m. ET inside the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center.
Saturday, Feb. 1 at Kennesaw State
Time/Site: 5 p.m. ET | KSU Convocation Center
Series History: FIU leads 6-0 (First CUSA Meeting)
TV: ESPN+
FIU looks to notch its first CUSA road win of the season and snap a six-game losing streak at Kennesaw State on Saturday evening. The Panthers were most recently defeated at Jacksonville State on Thursday evening, 71-67.
Jayden Brewer and Vianney Salatchoum combined for 39 of FIU's 67 points in the defeat. Jonathan Aybar and Dante Wilcox were also in double-figures with 10 points each. Aybar's 10 points bring his career total to 926.
Vianney Salatchoum blocked three shots for FIU and now sits 23rd in the country and second in CUSA with 2.05 blocks per game. As a team, the Panthers are first in CUSA with 5.0 blocks per game, which is 27th-nationally.
The Panthers and Owls faced off last season in a non-conference matchup on Nov. 26, 2023 with FIU claiming a 91-84 win. Current Panthers Dashon Gittens and Aybar both had solid games offensively with 13 and 12 points, respectively. For KSU, returner Simeon Cottle led the way with 20 points on 4-for-8 shooting from deep.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State is now 9-1 at home after a 76-68 loss to Liberty on Thursday evening. The Owls trailed by 10 at the half, a deficit which proved to aid the Flames to a comfortable win.
Adrian Wooley, Andre Weir and Cottle were all in double-figures and accounted for 45 of KSU's 68 points. For the season, Kennesaw is one of the nation's top rebounding teams, grabbing 43.1 rebounds per game, fourth-nationally and first in CUSA. The Owls are especially strong on the offensive glass with 14.4 offensive boards per game, 10th-best in the country.
Individually, Wooley and Cottle are both in the top-five in CUSA scoring. Wooley averages 18.2 ppg while Cottle sits just behind his teammate with 18.0 ppg. Freshman Braden Lue has also been a solid scorer for the Owls with 10.7 ppg.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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