Jan. 22, 2009
Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Junior Greteya Kelley's three-pointer at the buzzer completed a Kennesaw State comeback from a 15-point deficit to give the Lady Owls a 66-64 win over Lipscomb, the 700th in the career of KSU head coach Colby Tilley.
"Obviously, winning 700 games in my career means something because of the players and the coaches that the number represents," said Coach Tilley. "I told Greteya after the game that I'll always remember this game and I'll always remember her shot."
Down 64-63, Tilley called a timeout to set up the final play with 11 seconds exactly on the clock. The ball was worked down low to Britteny Henderson, who was immediately double-teamed.
"The play was designed to go to Britteny, and if she was double-teamed, she would kick it out to Jennifer Baker in the corner," said Coach Tilley. "It turned out that option wasn't there, so Britteny passed it to Greteya, who was really the third option on the play."
After two dribbles and with time waning, Henderson kicked the ball out to Kelley, who released a three-point shot from the top of the key just before the buzzer went off. The ball sailed true - the only made three-pointer of the game for Kelley - and the Lady Owls had earned the victory.
"After the last three games, this team really needed a win," said Tilley after the victory, his 248th at the helm of the Lady Owls. "We just kept working in the second half, and Greteya hit the big shot to get us over the top."
The Lady Owls (7-9, 4-4 A-Sun) trailed by a dozen at halftime, 35-23, and then by a game-high of 15 just 32 seconds later after a three-pointer by Lipscomb's Jenna Bartsokas. KSU launched a 15-2 run to cut the lead down to four, 40-36, capped by a three-pointer by Baker.
Lipscomb (4-14, 2-7) pushed the lead back to seven, but the Lady Owls tied the score just prior to the 10-minute mark of regulation when Henderson sank a pair of free-throws to even the score, 47-47.
KSU briefly led, 48-47, after a free-throw by DeAndrea Bullock, but Lipscomb scored the next four points to regain a three-point edge. The teams bounced the lead back-and-forth down the stretch, with neither team leading by more than three. The Lady Bisons erased a three-point KSU lead in the final 47 seconds, getting four straight points from Clair Waggener. That set the stage for Kelley's heroics.
Kelley finished even with Bullock in scoring with a team-high 16. Baker netted 11 while Henderson pulled down a game-high five offensive rebounds.
Bartsokas scored a game-high 19 points to lead Lipscomb. The Lady Bisons shot 45.5 percent from the field, but turned the ball over 19 times in the loss.
KSU will stay in Nashville until a Saturday afternoon Atlantic Sun Conference contest against Belmont. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. CST.
