By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - After taking over a week off due to final exams, the Kennesaw State women's basketball team will play one of its biggest home games of the season Friday night at 7 p.m. when metro Atlanta rival and No. 25 ranked Georgia Tech visits the KSU Convocation Center. Adult tickets are set at just $2 with all children in eighth grade and under given free admission, in addition to free admission for all KSU faculty, students, and staff.
The Lady Owls (4-4) last played Dec. 5, when KSU came up with a 70-52 win over Lipscomb in Atlantic Sun Conference play. KSU was led by freshman Brandi Jones, who scored a career-high 14 points. Senior Montinique Nixon had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while freshman Sametria Gideon converted her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. In all, five Lady Owls scored in double figures in the contest.
KSU's series with Georgia Tech stretches all the way back to the 1982-83 season, when Georgia Tech won the first-ever meeting between the two schools by 13, 68-55. The series went on hiatus until the 2006-07 season, the second year of KSU's transition to the Division I ranks. Since the series began anew, the closest contest between the two schools came during the 2007-08 campaign when the Yellow Jackets defeated the Lady Owls, 83-68.
Friday night marks Georgia Tech's first visit to Kennesaw State. With the Yellow Jackets currently ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll, this also marks the first time that any ranked basketball team has visited the KSU Convocation Center.
Georgia Tech marks the second Atlantic Coast Conference opponent the Lady Owls have faced this year. On Nov. 24, the Lady Owls trailed Clemson 71-69 with 37 seconds to go, but the Tigers connected on four free-throws down the stretch to win 75-69.
The Yellow Jackets (7-2) have one of the toughest defenses the Lady Owls will face all season. Going into Wednesday's game in Atlanta, Oregon was ranked second in the nation in scoring, averaging 89.6 points per game. Georgia Tech held the Ducks 20 points below their season average, earning an 87-69 victory.
Fans who can't be in attendance for Friday night's game can watch all the action on
ASun.TV, with Dave Albert and Nathan McCreary providing all of the commentary.
KSU will play the second of back-to-back in-state rivals on Monday when the Lady Owls travel to Statesboro, Ga., to face Georgia Southern.
