By: by Jason Hanes
NASHVILLE - Angie Smith had 18 points and Sametria Gideon had her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, but the Kennesaw State women's basketball team fell, 68-58, to Lipscomb in an Atlantic Sun Conference contest at Allen Arena.
The Lady Owls (2-6, 0-2) trailed, 36-24, at the half, but went on a big run to get back in the contest. After giving up the first bucket of the second half, KSU went on a 13-0 run, capped when Angie Smith connected on a 3-pointer, pulling KSU within a point, 38-37. After Lipscomb (5-4, 2-0) re-established a three-point lead, 42-39, a 6-0 spurt put the Lady Owls ahead for the first time on the night. Down one point, Angie Smith hit a pull-up jumper to push KSU into the lead, 43-42. After a Lipscomb miss, Smith went the length of the court for a lay-in, giving KSU a three-point advantage, 45-42.
That would prove to be the last lead of the night for the Lady Owls. A three-point play by Jenna Bartsokas just under the nine-minute mark of the second half tied the score for the only time in the contest, 45-45. After the teams traded turnovers, the Lady Bisons got a 3-pointer from Valerie Bronson to take a lead they would never relinquish.
After Lipscomb expanded the lead to eight, 56-48, the Lady Owls would twice get the lead back down to four, the final time coming on Gideon's put-back with 2:30 to go. But ahead 58-54, Lipscomb would score the next six points to salt the game away.
KSU dominated in the paint, 20-8, in the second half, but Lipscomb held a, 20-12, advantage in the first 20 minutes. The Lady Owls out-rebounded Lipscomb, 47-41, but Lipscomb connected on 17-of-18 from the free-throw line to pull away.
Smith fell a rebound short of a double-double, pulling down nine on the game. Chelcey Farrar had nine points for KSU, as KSU got 33 points off the bench as a squad.
Bartsokas led all scorers with 21 points. Hannah Phillips chipped in 12, while Jess Reece netted 10.
The Lady Owls will be back in action Tuesday night as they face Chattanooga in a non-conference contest. Tip-off at the KSU Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m.
