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KENNESAW, Ga. – Despite a second-consecutive double-double effort from junior guard Kristina Wells, the Kennesaw State women's basketball team fell in a tough 83-62 battle with Southeastern Conference foe Florida at the KSU Convocation Center on Sunday, Nov. 17.
 
Wells put in a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Owls, while freshman forward Aareon Smith, starting her first game for the Black and Gold, poured in 14 points, including a 7-of-7 mark from the charity stripe.
 
"I thought today's game was a very winnable game for us," said head coach #Nitra Perry. "It really came down to believing that we could win. Overall I thought we had Kristina Wells come back well as she always does and freshman Aareon Smith stepped up big for us. For me the problem was on defense. We could not get any stops and clearly there was a deficiency in the post."
 
KSU (1-3) came out fired up to start the game and opened with back-to-back layups from Wells for a 4-0 lead. The Gators (3-1) would respond to take an eight-point lead at 16-8 on a layup from Ronni Williams at the 12:03 mark, but the Owls continued to fight and closed the UF lead to four at 23-19 with a Wells layup with a little less than nine minutes remaining in the half.
 
Florida then began to assert itself, going on a 22-9 run to close the half before back-to-back baskets from freshman forward Gratia Brooks and Smith stopped the Gator run to send the game into intermission with a 45-32 UF lead.
 
Out of the break, the Gators pushed their lead to 51-32 with the first six points of the half. The Owls again battled back to within 13 on a Wells layup at the 16:15 mark, before Florida put the game out of reach with a 14-4 run for its largest lead of the game at 65-42. The Gators then cruised to the 83-62 victory.
 
Freshman forward Chloe Branch continued her steady play in the post with eight points and four rebounds.
 
For the game, the Owls outrebounded the Gators, 41-29, with KSU getting to the glass on the offensive end 19 times, including six from Wells. Junior Forward Valescia Dixon also grabbed seven boards for the Owls.
 
KSU finished the game shooting 37 percent, while making 16-of-21 free throws for a 76 percent effort from the free throw line.
 
The Owls next head back on the road for a showdown with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Wednesday, Nov. 20 in Jacksonville, Ala. Tip is set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsWBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
Season and single game tickets are currently available for all the home court action for the Owls and can be purchased by following the link HERE.
 
 

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