By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State's women's basketball team will start the second half of its Atlantic Sun Conference schedule as it faces a pair of familiar foes in Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson. The Lady Owls will face FGCU at 5 p.m. Saturday, and will take on the Hatters Monday afternoon at a newly-scheduled time of 5:15 p.m.
The teams won't have to go far back in the memory banks to remember the last time they played each other. The Lady Owls traveled to Florida to take on FGCU and Stetson last weekend. Both games played out differently, but ultimately had the same result of KSU coming up on the short end.
Saturday night's contest is the first time the Lady Owls have been home since a Jan. 9 victory over Campbell. KSU embarked on a four-game road trip following that contest, with the Lady Owls coming up short each time. On Jan. 16, the Lady Owls lost at Mercer, 60-38. Two days later, KSU ventured to Spartanburg, S.C., to take on USC Upstate. After falling behind early in that contest, the Lady Owls stormed back to take a lead going into the locker room. USC Upstate would answer with a run to start the second half and would hold on for a, 73-66, win.
The road trip then took the Lady Owls to Ft. Myers, Fla., on Jan. 21, and for the second straight game, the Lady Owls had a lead going into the locker room. Once again, the lead would be short lived, as FGCU would take a 79-52 win.
The trip wrapped up last Saturday with a contest in DeLand, Fla., against Stetson. KSU trailed by double-digits going into the locker room, but with a staunch defense and 14 second half points by Tamasha Bolden, the Lady Owls pulled within a point in the closing seconds. After two shots to take the lead fell off the iron, Stetson made two free-throws and Angie Smith's 3-pointer at the buzzer was no good, giving Stetson a, 62-59, win.
With a 2-8 mark in A-Sun play entering the weekend, the Lady Owls are one-half game ahead of Lipscomb for the eighth and final seed in the A-Sun Championships at the end of the season. The A-Sun schedule is a double-round robin, with teams playing each other twice on the other team's home court. This gives KSU the opportunity to avenge the losses that happened on the road earlier this year.
Smith leads the Lady Owls in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game. Just behind her is Gia Lockett, who is averaging 11.3 points per game and has scored just two fewer points than Smith this season.
FGCU enters the Convocation Center leading the A-Sun with a 10-1 conference mark. They are ineligible for NCAA post-season play due to reclassification rules, but can advance to the Women's NIT if they win the A-Sun regular season.
Stetson will enter Monday's contest following a Saturday tilt at Mercer. The Hatters are just in front of the Lady Owls with a 4-7 A-Sun mark starting the weekend's play.
All games will be available via
ASun.TV, and live stats will also be available via
KSUOwls.com.
