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KENNESAW, Ga. – For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Kennesaw State women's basketball team won its season opening game as the Owls started off the 2014-15 campaign with a 68-61 victory over the College of Charleston, the first-ever against the Cougars, on Friday night (Nov. 14) at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
"It was an exciting game," said head coach Nitra Perry. "It was a huge win for our program in getting the win at the start of the season. The College of Charleston was a really athletic team. They were a big team, so I am really proud of how our girls played and how tough they were tonight."
 
Prior to Friday, the Owls (1-0) had last won a season opening contest on Nov. 9, 2007 in a 74-70 overtime win over Jacksonville State. With the victory, the Owls have now won three-consecutive home openers, after wins over Tennessee State last season and Troy during the 2012-13 season.
 
The Owls had four players contribute double figure point totals, led by redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely, who made her KSU debut with a game-high 19 points, including a 6-of-11 effort from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 mark from the free throw line.
 
Senior Kristina Wells added 14 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Deandrea Sawyers registered 12 points and a career-high nine boards in the win.
 
After the Cougars (0-1) opened with the game's first two points, the Owls bounced back to build a 9-4 lead on four-straight points from Mosely and a three-pointer by junior Karly Frye, who made her Owl debut on Friday.
 
KSU maintained its five-point lead at 11-6 with 15:30 left on the clock in the first half, before the Cougars launched a 14-1 run over the next five and a half minutes to build the game's first double-digit lead at 20-12 at the 10-minute mark.
 
With the Owls trailing 24-14 with just under eight minutes to go in the first, redshirt-freshman Kelly Dulkoski drilled her first career three-pointer to beat the shot clock and give KSU back the momentum. Over the next six minutes, the Owls combined a stingy defense with a 15-4 run to take a 29-28 advantage two minutes before the half. A layup from Schiclasia Brown with 10 seconds left in the half then gave the Cougars a 30-29 lead heading into the break.
 
It was a back and forth affair out of intermission, with neither team taking more than a four-point lead until The College edged out to 50-45 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
 
Back-to-back Wells layups would pull the Owls within one at 54-53, before freshman Katie Polinsky made her collegiate debut at the 6:25 mark, making an impact on the defensive end for the Owls.
 
Following a jumper from junior Jasmine McAllister evened the contest for the seventh time at 58-58 with three minutes left, the Owls scored the next six points on free throws from Mosely and Wells and a Sawyers layup.
 
After a Cougar three-pointer brought it to 64-61 with 43 second remaining, KSU iced the 68-61 win with a driving layup from Wells, followed by a pair of freebies from Frye.
 
McAllister posted 11 points and six rebounds in her Owl debut, while Frye tallied four assists in 40 minutes of action.
 
As a team, the Owls shot 46 percent from the field, as well as a 76 percentage from the charity stripe, making 19-of-25 free throws on the night, including a stellar 12-of-14 in the second half.
 
KSU pulled down 37 rebounds and turned 12 Cougar turnovers into 15 points.
 
Breanna Bolden led The College with a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Shiclasia Brown added 14 points for the visitors.
 
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.