By: by Jason Hanes
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Freshman Sametria Gideon scored a career-high 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked four shots, but it wasn't enough as the Kennesaw State women's basketball team couldn't overcome an early double-digit deficit, falling 68-44 to Belmont in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener for both teams Thursday night at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Lady Owls (3-4, 0-1) struggled out of the gate as the Bruins (5-1, 1-0) scored the first 20 points of the contest. KSU was held scoreless until a lay-in by Montinique Nixon with 11 minutes and 7 seconds to go in the first half.
KSU would chip away at the lead, getting it down to 12 after an Angie Smith 3-pointer made the score 32-20 with just over three minutes to go in the half. But the Bruins scored the final four points of the half and took a 36-20 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Lady Owls got the lead as low as 11 on two occasions, but couldn't get the Belmont lead into single digits. KSU trailed 47-36 after a Smith jumper with just over nine minutes to go, but Belmont went on a 15-3 run to extend the lead to 62-40 with four minutes remaining.
Smith scored 16 points to pace the KSU offense, her seventh game of the year with double-digit scoring. Montinique Nixon grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. KSU shot 17-of-66 from the field for 25.8 percent shooting, including 3-of-19 from 3-point territory
Belmont was led by Kristin Bunch, who scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Haley Nelson had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Bruins, who out-rebounded KSU 51-37.
The Lady Owls will return to action Saturday when Lipscomb visits the Convocation Center in an A-Sun game. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
