Owls to battle Mississippi Valley State in final game of Chicago Invitational Challenge
by Mark Toma
11/28/2009 12:55:07 AM
CHICAGO – Kennesaw State will conclude its nine-day, four-game road trip on Saturday morning as they battle Mississippi Valley State in the final game of the 2009 Chicago Invitational Challenge at the UIC Pavilion.
The Owls (2-3) will look to snap their three-game losing streak as they play the Delta Devils (1-5) for the first time. Mississippi Valley State enters the game winless in the Chicago Invitational Challenge and is coming off a, 72-53, loss to Liberty on Friday.
Mississippi Valley State enters the game after suffering losses to Iowa State (96-55), Saint Louis (75-39) and Liberty in the tournament, while Kennesaw Sate fell to Saint Louis, Notre Dame and Tennessee State this week.
The Black and Gold is getting balanced scoring over the first three games of the tournament. Averaging 65 points per game, KSU has three players scoring in double-figures led by redshirt freshman Markeith Cummings. The Savannah, Ga. native is averaging 13.7 ppg in the Challenge, while Jon-Michael Nickerson and Kurtis Woods are scoring at a 13.3 ppg clip.
Although being out-rebounded in each of the first three games of the Challenge, the Owls have received solid rebounding from redshirt freshman LaDaris Green, who is grabbing 7.7 rebounds a game and Nickerson who is chipping in six boards a game. Kennesaw State is nearly even on the offensive glass with 43 offensive rebounds, compared to 45 for their three opponents.
The Delta Devils are averaging less than 50 points per game and have lost by an average of 35.3 point per game this week. Julius Cheeks leads MVSU at 12.7 points and 4.3 rebounds during the Chicago Invitational Challenge. He scored a team-high 18 points against Liberty on Friday and is the lone Delta Devil in double-figures. Shannon Behling and Jason Holmes are both averaging over seven points in three games.
Kennesaw State and Mississippi Valley State will tip-off at 11:30 a.m. (CST) in the seventh place game at the UIC Pavilion. The game can be heard live on 920am WGKA and can also be heard online at www.920WGKA.com. Play-by-play announcer Craig Corbin and color analyst Scott Webb will carry all of the action.