Monday, January 28, 2008

MACON, Ga. – Perhaps Kennesaw State can claim the Battle of the Boulevard crown? The Owls swept their home games with Belmont and Lipscomb last week, led by the play of Ronell Wooten. He averaged a league-best 26.5 points per game last week in leading the Owls to back-to-back wins for the first time this season. He claimed his first Player of the Week award of the year and the third of his career, the conference office announced on Monday.

In addition to the scoring, Wooten averaged 5.0 rebounds per game, shot 58.1 percent from the floor and connected on 11-of-21 3-point field goal attempts as Kennesaw State swept the Nashville-based teams at home for the second time in three seasons. Wooten scored 30-points against the Bruins, the second-highest scoring game in his illustrious career, and followed with a 23-point night against Lipscomb. The sweep marked the first time in two years that a school successfully knocked off both Belmont and Lipscomb at home. It last occurred in February 2006 when Gardner-Webb beat Belmont on the 16th and Lipscomb two days later.

Wooten, a senior sports management major from Statesboro, Ga., also moved into second place on the Kennesaw State all-time scoring list with 1,470 points, passing the total of 1,453 points that Columbus Ballard amassed from 1990-1994. Only Herman Smith’s total of 1,683 points stands between Wooten and the Owls’ record. Wooten must average 21.4 points per game over his final 10 games to pass Smith.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Justin Hare, BEL (Sr. – G – Cleveland, Tenn.. – Exercise Science/Pre-Med) – Averaged 22.0 points per game this past week, including a season-high 31 points on 10-for-17 shooting at Mercer; Made a career-high seven three-point field goals in pacing Belmont to a 93-82 win.

Ben Smith, JU (So. – G – Dublin, Ga. – Undeclared) – Led JU to a 1-1 week; Scored in double figures for the eighth straight game; Just missed his third career double-double at USC Upstate; Needs 36 assists to rank in the top 10 single-seasons at JU.

Kenyona Swader, ETSU (Sr. – F – Smyrna, Tenn. – Interdisciplinary Studies) – Helped lead the Bucs to back-to-back wins last week; Swader scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds against the Dolphins; Scored season high 19 points and racked up seven rebounds vs UNF; Shot 62 percent from the field.

Casey Wohlleb, FGCU (Sr. – G/F – Boca Raton, Fla. – Business Management) – Led FGCU to 2-1 week with road A-Sun wins at Campbell and Gardner-Webb; Led team in scoring twice and added 22 at Gardner-Webb; Scored 20+ points in each of the A-Sun games, shot over 50 percent in both road games.