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EARLY DECEMBER ACTION
The Owls will continue Northeast-10 Conference play this week on Wednesday at Saint Rose and at Moore Field House on Saturday against American International.

ALL-TIME AGAINST SAINT ROSE AND AIC
The Owls enter the week 11-19 all-time vs. Saint Rose and 24-45 against American International.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
The Owls took a pair of games from both the Golden Knights and Yellow Jackets last season. Southern topped Saint Rose 76-65 on Dec. 4, 2013 and again on the road 86-80 on Feb. 22. The Owls then defeated AIC on Dec. 7 by a score of 80-70, before taking the regular season finale 99-73 on Feb. 25. Departed senior Greg Langston led the Owls in scoring in all four games, including a career-high 35 points in the Feb. 25 contest. Deshawn Murphy scored 23 points for the Owls in the Dec. 7 matchup.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Saint Rose (4-3, 2-1 NE-10) enters the matchup after dropping a pair of non-region games against Pitt.-Johnstown 65-56 and nationally-ranked No. 7 Indiana (Pa.) 64-47 in the IRMC/Urgicare Classic in Indiana, Pa. Like the Owls, Saint Rose has defeated Adelphi and Pace for its two conference victories. The Knights' lone conference defeat came at the hands of Le Moyne, 66-51. On the season, the Knights are both scoring and allowing an average of 64 points per game. They are also shooting 42.7 percent from the field. True freshman Jack Jones leads the team with 11.1 points per game, just ahead of junior Max Weaver (11.0 ppg). Chris Dorgler averages 9.6 ppg and team-highs with 4.3 apg and 6.3 rpg. Jalaun Taylor checks in at 9.9 ppg and six rpg in just over 30 minutes per contest. Maksis Uskans is the Knights fifth starter, averaging 3.3 ppg and 2.0 apg.

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
AIC enters the week with a record of 4-1 (2-0 NE-10). The Yellow Jackets will host Le Moyne on Wednesday evening before facing the Owls. AIC topped Adelphi 77-73 on Nov. 22 and New Haven 63-56 on the road last Tuesday. Previously, AIC dropped a one-point, 70-69 decision to Bridgeport after allowing a pair of free throws with one second remaining. As a team, the Yellow Jackets enter averaging 74 points per game to go along with a 45.6 shooting percentage. Seniors Marcus Porter (18 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Bobby Harris (17 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5.8 apg) lead the team, along with fellow starters Cameron Dobbs (14.2 ppg) and Trahmier Burrell (11.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg). Junior forward Oscar Assie also enters with 5.8 rebounds per contest. AIC will enter the matchup with Southern with a 2-0 record on the road this season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Owls (6-0, 2-0 NE-10) set a new season-high by shooting 60.9 percent (39-for-64) from the field in a 104-69 win over Pace in last Tuesday's home opener. Michael Mallory led all scorers with 21 points and added three steals. Tylon Smith and Deshawn Murphy each added 15 points. All five starters scored in double digits and Jack McCarthy registered a new career-high 10 points off the bench. The Owls shot 73.3 percent (22-for-30) from the floor in the second half and were a perfect 20-for-20 from the free throw line.

HISTORIC START
The Owls 6-0 start is the first of its kind to start a season since the team started the 1996-97 season at 7-0. The best start in program history came back during the 1949-50 season when the team opened the campaign 16-0.

SCORING BIG
The 123 point outburst by Southern against Felician on Nov. 21 was tied for the second-most points in program history. The only other time the Owls scored 123 was in the 2000-01 season in a 124-123 OT loss to Pace. The program record of 124 points was set during the 1956-57 campaign against Hillyer (now the University of Hartford).

FLYING ATOP THE REGION
SCSU is ranked No. 1 in the East Region according to the newly formed Division II Sports Information Directors of America rankings, as voted upon by the region's sports information directors.

NATIONAL POLLS SAY SECOND-BEST
The Owls are ranked No. 2 nationally in five 2014-15 rankings - the NABC, the Sporting News, Division II Bulletin, the Basketball Times and the newly formed D2SIDA rankings. West Liberty (WV), a Final Four team a year ago, was the No. 1 ranked team in all five polls.

POLL WATCHING
Southern's current No. 2 national ranking matches the highest mark in program history. The Owls peaked as high as No. 2 in the Bennett Rankings last year. Southern's preseason No. 2 mark in the NABC poll is also the highest ranking ever for the Owls in the coaches' poll.

PLENTY OF PRESEASON FANFARE FOR SMITH
The only player in Division II to average 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 2013-14, Tylon Smith has received significant attention from the media in the preseason. He was named a preseason All-American by the Sporting News and the Basketball Times and was a "Super 16" pick by the Division II Bulletin.

IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
In the release of the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches' poll, the Owls were picked first in the Southwest Division. SCSU received 14 out of a possible 15 first-place votes.

THE CAPTAINS
Head coach Michael Donnelly announced that seniors Tylon Smith and Luke Houston will serve as team captains for the 2014-15 season. It's the second consecutive year that the pair has filled this role.

NEW ARRIVAL
The lone newcomer to the Owls' roster this season is another talented Connecticut product, guard Desmond Williams. He was a two-time junior college All-American at the Community College of Rhode Island. In addition, his older brother, Jordan, has played in the NBA with the Nets.

WELCOME BACK
Southern Connecticut returns 12 players from last year's squad - seniors Jose Cruz, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith, juniors Stefon Williams, Deshawn Murphy and Jack McCarthy and sophomores Michael Bozzuto, Austin Carter, Michael Mallory, Dominic Migliaro, Jonathan Paul and Lucas Van Nes.

GETTING IT DONE ON BOTH ENDS
In addition to collecting a host of accolades for his on the court play, Tylon Smith was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II basketball team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He was a Third-Team selection.

NO EASY GAMES
The Owls will face six teams that reached the NCAA Division II Tournament a year ago (Bridgeport, East Stroudsburg, Franklin Pierce, Le Moyne, New Haven and Saint Anselm).

CAPTAINS LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Senior captains Tylon Smith and Luke Houston were both named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for their work in the classroom and on the court last year. Both have also been recognized as Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipients for their classroom prowess in each of the last two years.

A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Southern Connecticut finished last year with a record of 30-3 and reached the Elite Eight for the second time in school history, where it lost to the eventual national champion, Central Missouri. Along the way, the Owls also won their first-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament titles. SCSU also produced a school-record 19 game winning streak during the course of the year.

IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are 29-36 all-time in season-opening games. SCSU has won its last five season openers, including an 104-88 win over Dowling this year.

A DIFFERENT YEAR
The Owls won 13 more games last year than in 2012-13. The baker's dozen win improvement was third best in Division II. Here's a look at the teams and the win improvements (2012-13/2013-14 win totals in parentheses).
1. UC-Colorado Springs  +16 (5-21)
2. Delta State   +15 (11-26)
3. Southern Connecticut  +13 (17-30)
3. Cal-State Stanislaus  +13 (10-23)
3. Fort Valley State  +13 (8-21)

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
Deshawn Murphy set a new single-season record with 78 made three-pointers last year, surpassing Angelo Parenti (73, 1988-89). In addition, Murphy's 201 three-point attempts were also a new single-season record.

HOME COURT EDGE
Southern Connecticut went 11-1 at Moore Field House in the regular season and was 16-1 on its home court last year.

SMITH ETCHES NAME IN RECORD BOOK
Tylon Smith surpassed the 1,000 career points mark on Feb. 19 versus Pace. The guard totaled 1,171 points in his career over his first three years as an Owl. He enters his senior season in 20th place on the all-time scoring list at SCSU and is also 13th in career rebounding.

WHAT A TURNAROUND
In the eight seasons prior to the arrival of Mike Donnelly, Southern Connecticut won 34 games. Last year, he guided the Owls to 30 wins.

DONNELLY BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Owls' coach Michael Donnelly is in his fifth season at the helm of the SCSU men's basketball program in 2014-15. Over the course of his first four years, he has guided the Owls to steady win total improvements. Donnelly inherited a team that won just two games the year prior to his arrival and followed up with campaigns of 12, 14 and 17 with 30 victories. The 2014 NE-10 and NABC Regional Coach of the Year has a 73-41 record as head coach at SCSU, which includes four straight trips to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, a program first. Prior to his hiring at SCSU in May, 2010, Donnelly spent seven years as the head coach at Post University.

THE ONE DEPARTURE LEFT QUITE AN IMPACT
The only player not returning from last year's milestone season is Greg Langston, who finished his career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,890 points. He capped his career by earning All-America honors from four separate organizations along with Northeast-10 Conference and ECAC Player of the Year honors.

MALLORY MAKE A QUICK IMPACT
Guard Michael Mallory made his presence felt during the 2013-14 season, earning ECAC and Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year honors. He finished the year with averages of 15.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

ON THE GLASS
Team rebounding was a strength for the Owls a year ago. SCSU averaged 43.3 boards per game, tops in the Northeast-10 Conference.

LAST YEAR'S CONFERENCE LEADERS
Many Owls finished among the NE-10 leaders in the regular season statistics.
•Greg Langston placed second in scoring average (21.1).
•Tylon Smith was fifth in scoring (18.3) and fourth in both shooting percentage (55.5%) and assists (4.8).
•Michael Mallory led all freshmen (16th overall) with 15.8 points per game.
• Luke Houston finished second in steals per contest (2.3).

20 WINS EQAULS THE POST-SEASON
The 2013-14 season was the sixth time in program history that SCSU won 20 games in a season. The Owls have earned a spot in the postseason (NCAA five times, ECAC once) every time it hit that total.

THRIVING IN THE CLASSROOM
Nine of the 13 members of last year's team were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll during the coruse of the 2013-14 academic year. Student-athletes must maintain a semester average of at least 3.0 in order to be eligible for this honor.

100 NOTES
For the first time since the 1974-75 season, Southern Connecticut broke the century mark in consecutive games last year. The Owls followed up a 110-point showing in a win over Stonehill on Jan. 22 with 106 points in the road victory at No. 21 Franklin Pierce on Jan. 25.
• During the middle of January, the Owls surpassed the 100 point mark in three out of four contests.
• SCSU just missed triple digits in the 99-73 victory over AIC on Feb. 25.
• The extra made free throw versus the Yellow Jackets would have tied a program record set during the 1956-57 season.

WINNING SEASON
With the win over Stonehill on Jan. 22, the Owls secured their third straight winning season. The program last recorded three consecutive winning seasons from 1999-2000 to 2001-2002.

UP NEXT
Next week, the Owls travel to LIU Post for a non-conference matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 9, before hosting NE-10 foe Saint Michael's on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.