By: by Jason Hanes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Kennesaw State's women's basketball team rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to pull within three, but a 9-0 run by Jacksonville to close the game ended KSU's hopes of victory, as the Lady Owls fell 67-55 on Monday night at Veterans Memorial Arena in an Atlantic Sun Conference game.
KSU (4-9, 1-3) trailed 55-41 with six minutes to go in the contest, but the Lady Owls mounted a charge. A 14-3 run by the Lady Owls over the next four minutes brought KSU within three, 58-55, as Gia Lockett, Angie Smith, and Brandi Jones all poured in points for KSU in the rally. A free-throw by Smith closed the run with 1:58 to go in the contest, but that would prove to be the final point the Lady Owls would score in the game. The Dolphins (3-9, 2-2) scored seven of the last nine points of the game from the foul line, as JU pulled away for the 67-55 win.
The Lady Owls led briefly in the first half, but a 15-3 run by the home squad gave JU a 17-7 lead and put KSU in a hole it would have to try to climb out of the entire game. KSU would eventually trail by 13 at the half, 34-21, as the Lady Owls shot 9-of-31 from the floor in the first half.
For the game, while the Lady Owls held JU to just 38 percent shooting (21-of-55) from the field, KSU shot 28 percent (19-of-68) for the contest. KSU took advantage of 25 JU turnovers, scoring 24 points.
Smith came within two rebounds of a double-double, scoring a game-high 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Lockett scored 10 points for KSU, while Tamasha Bolden grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Lynsey Paschal tied Smith for game-high scoring honors with 17, completing a double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Lady Owls will be back in action this Thursday when they host East Tennessee State. Game time has been moved to 3 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
