KENNESAW STATE (8-2) VS GARDNER-WEBB (4-6)
GAME 11 | DECEMBER 20 | 12 P.M. ET
KENNESAW, Ga. | KSU CONVOCATION CENTER (4,800)
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | ESPN3 | PROMOTIONS | TICKETS | TWITTER
 
THE GAME:
The Kennesaw State women's basketball team returns to the KSU Convocation Center for its final two games before the holiday break as the Owls first host Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Dec. 20. Tipoff is slated for 12 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of Saturday's game.
ESPN3: ESPN3 will have the live broadcast of Saturday's game with Nathan McCreay and Theresa Gernatt on the call.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State women's basketball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsWBB to receive updates throughout the game.
 
THE PROMOTIONS:
Santa Claus will be available for pictures between 12:30-3:30 during the women's and men's basketball doubleheader on Saturday.

THE OPPONENT:
Gardner-Webb
The Runnin' Bulldogs come into Saturday's contest with a 4-6 record after snapping their three-game losing streak with a 68-48 win over Tennessee Temple on Thursday night  in Boliing Springs, N.C. GWU has also registered wins over Montreat, N.C. Central and Wofford. Three of the Bulldogs' wins have come at home in Boiling Springs, while GWU is 1-5 on the road. The Bulldogs have three players averaging double digit points with Jessica Heilig leading with 13.4 points per game, followed by Candace Brown and Olivia Parker with 10.4 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. The Trio also leads GWU in rebounding, with Heilig grabbing a team-high 7.1 boards per contest. The Bulldogs, who own a +8.5 rebounding margin, average 21.7 turnovers per game.
 
THE SERIES:
This will be the 12th meeting between the Owls and the Bulldogs, with GWU leading the series 6-5 after earning an 84-58 win over the Owls in last season's meeting on Nov. 14, 2013 in Boiling Springs, N.C. A trio of then-juniors led the Owls against GWU, as Ty-Nita Baker scored a game-high 16 points, while Kristina Wells recorded KSU's first double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Valescia Dixon added 14 points, including 10 in the second half, and seven rebounds.   
 
All-Time Record: GWU leads, 6-5
Last Meeting: GWU won, 84-58, on Nov. 14, 2013 in Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Kennesaw State women's basketball put together a total team effort as the Owls cruised to a 76-56 win over rival Mercer for their fifth-straight victory on Tuesday night (Dec. 13) in Hawkins Arena. Senior Kristina Wells paced the Owls with a team-high 20 points, on 5-of-9 shooting and a 10-of-10 mark from the free throw line, to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds and six assists. It marked the second double-double of the season for the Douglasville, Ga., native and the 15th of her career. Junior Jasmine McAllister added her Atlantic Sun Conference leading seventh double-double of the season with 14 points, 11 boards and a season-high four blocks, while sophomore Deandrea Sawyers poured in 19 points, including four three-pointers. Redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely joined the trio in double figures with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and added seven boards and three blocks in the win.
 
NEXT UP:
The Owls have a quick turnaround when they welcome in Xavier to the KSU Convocation Center on Monday, Dec. 22 at 12 p.m. ET in the team's final game before the holiday break.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Best Start in over a Decade…
With eight wins in the first 10 games, the Owls are off to their best start in the Division I era and the best since the 2000-01 season when KSU opened its campaign with 13 wins in its first 15 contests.
 
Five-Game Win Streak
With its win on Tuesday, KSU has won five-consecutive games for the first time since the 2003-04 season, when the Owls put together a five-game winning streak from Feb. 11-25 and posted two wins over Clayton State, as well as wins over North Florida, Columbus State, UNC Pembroke during the run.
 
Free Throws
The Owls rank second the Atlantic Sun Conference and 41st nationally with a 73.9 free throw percentage and are averaging 13.3 free throws made per contest, compared to their opponents with 9.9 freebies made per game.
 
Shooting the Rock
KSU is also shooting it well from the field and have connected on 42.7 percent of its shots, which sits second in the conference and 81st in the country, while also owning the third-best scoring margin in the league at +4.5.
 
A-Sun Newcomer of the Week
Junior Jasmine McAllister collected her third Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week accolade on Monday after scoring the winning-layup in the Owls' overtime victory against Jacksonville State on Saturday, while also registering her sixth double-double of the season with 17 points (on 8-of-14 shooting), all of which came after halftime, to go with 10 boards, three assists and two steals.
 
A-Sun Weekly Honors
For the fourth-consecutive week, the Owls took home A-Sun Conference weekly honors after sophomore Deandrea Sawyers earned her first-career Player of the Week on Dec. 8 and McAllister earned back-to-back Newcomer of the Week accolades the two weeks prior.
 
Top Three
The Owls are the only team in the league that has two players in the top three in the scoring (McAllister, Sawyers), rebounding (McAllister, senior Kristina Wells) and field goal percentage (McAllister, redshirt-senior Breonna Mosely) categories.
 
McAllister on Fire
McAllister leads in all three of those categories, pacing the A-Sun with 16.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, while also shooting the ball at a 52.9 clip from the field. Her 11.2 boards per contest also comes in ranking
 
McAllister on the Boards
McAllister's league-leading 11.2 boards ranks 19th in the NCAA and she is also leading the A-Sun and ranks 18th in the nation with 4.5 offensive boards per game. On the season, she has pulled down 112 rebounds, with 45 of those coming on the offensive end of the court. 
 
Double Doubles
McAllister has also registered seven double-doubles on the season, which leads the A-Sun and ranks fourth in the NCAA.
 
Top Scorers
Along with McAllister, the Owls have four players in the top-21 in scoring in the A-Sun. Joining the junior are Sawyers (15.3 ppg, fourth), Wells (12.0 ppg, t-17th) and Mosely (10.2 ppg, 21st).
 
Top Rebounders
The quartet also ranks in the top-17 in the conference in rebounding with McAllister leading the way, followed by Wells (8.6 rpg, third), Mosely (5.7 rpg, 11th) and Sawyers (4.8 rpg, 17th). 
 
Field Goal Percentage
McAllister leads the conference and ranks 70th in the nation with a 52.9 field goal percentage, connecting on 63-of-119 field goals. Right behind her in the league statistics is Mosely with a 51.8 field goal percentage and has connected on 43-of-83 attempts.
 
Dishing out the Rock
Junior Karly Frye is averaging 3.8 assists per game, ranking her third in the conference and has dished out 38 helpers on the year. Wells adds 3.1 assists per game to sit in a tie for sixth in the league and has 31 helpers on the year.
 
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio
Wells and Frye rank in the top seven in the A-Sun in assist-to-turnover ratio, with the senior owning a 2.4 ratio to sit third in the conference and 42nd in the NCAA. Frye comes in with a 1.2 ratio and ranks seventh in the conference.
 
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.