By: by KSU Sports Information
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Taylor Mills scored a team-high 19 points and Sametria Gideon added her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Kennesaw State women's basketball team defeated USC Upstate, 74-63, in Atlantic Sun Conference action at the Hodge Center Saturday afternoon.
"We came out with a lot of intensity," said KSU head coach Colby Tilley. "We talked a lot about being focused, and intense and working hard. I really think we worked hard the whole time."
The Lady Owls (7-9, 2-3) never trailed in the contest as Lisa Capellan and Kristina Wells combined to score the first six points of the contest. KSU's lead would get as high as nine in the opening half, with Gideon doing most of the dirty work inside. The Madison, Ala., native scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes of the contest. Upstate (1-14, 0-4) scored the final four points of the half to cut the KSU lead in half, 33-29, heading into the locker room.
With the defenses trying to take over in the early stages of the second half, perhaps one possession best typified KSU's effort in the game. The Lady Owls owned the basketball for over a minute thanks to five offensive rebounds. Wells and Capellan each had a pair of offensive rebounds, with Gideon grabbing the fifth and final miss off the glass before an Upstate foul. After another Upstate foul, Mills connected on a 3-pointer with 15:57 to go in the game, stretching the lead up to six, 38-32.
Upstate would cut the KSU lead back down as close as four, but the Lady Owls would answer. Gray, who joined Mills and Gideon in double-figures with 14 points, started a 5-0 spurt for KSU with a lay-up off a feed from Mills. A minute later, Gideon would find Mills open for a 3-pointer to get the lead back to nine, 45-36, with just under 12 minutes to go.
The lead for the Lady Owls would build in a big way thanks to an 11-1 run over 3:15 of action. Mills connected on another 3-pointer to spark the run, then drained a pair of free-throws with 9:22 to go for a 52-41 lead. A pair of Upstate fouls would put Chelcey Farrar on the line for two free-throws to get the lead up to 13. Farrar would finish off a great feed from Gideon with a jumper to get the lead up to 15, 56-41. Upstate would sink a free-throw, but Gray would cap the run by finishing off a dish from Gideon with a lay-up, giving KSU an insurmountable 16-point advantage with 6:55 to go.
After becoming the focus of the Upstate defense in the second half, Gideon would get three assists in the final 20 minutes. "This is Sametria's first start since she's been hurt," coach Tilley said. "I think getting her getting back in the starting lineup gave her some added confidence. She came out strong in the first half, then she did some nice things for us in the second half."
Mills scored 17 of her points in the second half and also had five of her game-high six assists in the second stanza. Gray joined the party as well, scoring eight of her 14 points after halftime. "Elaina is our best shooting post player right now," coach Tilley said. "Then Taylor got hot in the second half and provided a big lift for us as well."
The Lady Owls out-rebounded Upstate, 50-34, in the contest. For the second straight game, KSU was dominant on the offensive boards. As a team, KSU had 23 offensive rebounds, with Gideon leading the way with seven. Capellan and Wells each had four offensive boards for KSU as the duo each finished with eight rebounds. KSU also won its third consecutive road game and second-straight A-Sun road game, dating back to its Dec. 3 win over Lipscomb. This marks the first time KSU has won back-to-back road conference games since defeating Belmont and Lipscomb Jan. 22-24, 2009.
Tee'Ara Copney scored 22 points to lead the Spartans, who have yet to record a win at home this season. Briana Robinson scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half, with Shelby Hicks scoring 10 points off the bench.
The Lady Owls will look for their fourth-straight road win and their first-ever win over East Tennessee State when they tip off with the Lady Bucs this Monday at 3:30 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn. ASun.TV and KSU All-Access will provide full coverage of the game.
