Feb. 12, 2009
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Jennifer Baker scored 26 points, Greteya Kelley added 22 points and Britteny Henderson recorded a double-double, but the Lady Owls could not overcome a 32-point performance by Florida Gulf Coast's Adrianne McNally as the Eagles stopped Kennesaw State, 88-79, at Alico Arena.
In a wildly entertaining game, Florida Gulf Coast (20-4, 13-3 A-Sun) won its 20th game of the season while dropping the Lady Owls (11-12, 8-7 A-Sun) a game under the .500 mark by holding KSU scoreless over the final two minutes of the game.
A lay-up by DeAndrea Bullock, her lone points of the night, tied the game with 2:08 left to play, but those were the final points Kennesaw State would get as FGCU ended the game on a 9-0 run. The Lady Owls led by five points, 77-72, when guard Ashley Johnson hit a three-pointer with 3:54 left to play, but then the Eagles Kelsey Jacobson took over.
The Eagles reserve, who scored a career-high 21-points, hit a three-pointer with 3:32 remaining and then after a timeout, connected on a pair of free-throws to tie the game. Jacobson connected on five of seven three-pointers and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line as FGCU won its 11th consecutive game.
The Lady Owls were resilient as they battled back from a nine-point deficit on four different occasions in the second half. Kennesaw State shot 49 percent from the field in the game as FGCU shot 52 percent. Both teams combined to make 23 three-pointers on the night with KSU making 10-of-21 and FGCU connecting on 13-of-25 from downtown.
The Lady Owls, who saw their brief two-game winning streak snapped, controlled the boards, 33-27 and had a 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass. However, a dramatic difference from the free-throw line saw FGCU make 25-of-29 from the charity stripe while the Black and Gold made five of seven shots from the line.
Baker went 10-for-14 from the field in the game, including five-for-eight from distance while Kelley connected on 9-of-15 shots from the floor with a trio of three-pointers and six assists. Henderson scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Black and Gold while Angie Smith pumped in nine points.
McNally put up a double-double with her career-high 32-points and 11-rebounds, going 10-for-17 from the floor and 11-for-14 from the free-throw line. Chelsea Lyles added 14 points and Shannon Murphy chipped in 13 points.
The Lady Owls will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they battle Stetson at 2:00 p.m. at the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla.
