Dec. 14, 2007
Box Score
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Kennesaw State women's basketball team had four players score in double figures as the Lady Owls cruised to a 73-46 win over Charleston Southern on Friday night at the CSU Field House.
The win snaps the Lady Owls four-game losing streak and pushes their record to 4-6 overall, while Charleston Southern falls to 3-6 with the loss.
After struggling to score in its previous game, KSU came out of the blocks quickly, jumping out to an early 16-4 lead after a Greteya Kelley three pointer with 12:03 to play in the first half. A Crystal Robinson jumper pulled the Lady Buccaneers as close as four at 18-14 just three minutes later, but the Lady Owls stood their ground.
The Black and Gold responded with an 8-2 run, capped by a jumper by Britteny Henderson to push the lead back to 10 at 26-16 with 5:32 to play in the first stanza. A Jennifer Baker jumper with 30 seconds to play gave KSU a 34-25 lead, but Natalie Caldwell hit a basket of her own just before the buzzer to pull CSU within seven at 34-27 heading into halftime.
Tina DeCarvalho got the Lady Bucs on the board first in the second half, converting a layup to pull the home team within five, 34-29, with 18:53 to play. CSU got a steal on the Lady Owls' next possession, but a missed layup gave the ball back to Kennesaw State, which converted the opportunity thanks to a jumper by Montinique Nixon. That sparked a 13-0 run over the next 8:30 of action, giving KSU a 47-29 advantage.
The Lady Owls would extend their lead to as many as 30 with just under five minutes to play as DeAndrea Bullock converted a jumper. From there the Lady Owls defense hung tough and closed out the final moments by recording a couple of steals to preserve the 27-point victory.
Kelley led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, while Baker chipped in a season-high 15 points. Henderson scored 14 points for the Lady Owls and Nixon had one of her best games of the season, coming off the bench to add 11 points for KSU.
The Black and Gold shot a season high 47.6 percent from the floor (30-of-63), while holding CSU to just a .314 field goal percentage. The Lady Owls controlled the boards throughout the game, out-rebounding the Lady Bucs, 43-30.
KSU will take time off for the Christmas holiday and return to the court on December 29 when the Lady Owls begin play in the Georgia Tech Holiday Invitational in Atlanta. The Black and Gold start the two-day event by squaring off against Harvard at 2:00 p.m.
