BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF) | VIDEO
 
KENNESAW, Ga. – It was a complete team effort as the Kennesaw State women's basketball team swept the season series with Lipscomb with an 88-79 win over the Bisons on Thursday night (Feb. 6) at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
"I am extremely excited to get the win," said head coach Nitra Perry. "I thought we played an awesome first half. In the second half we allowed them to get back in the game, but overall I was very proud of our team. They did not score for a very long time in the first half. That was our best defensive effort of the year. I am definitely excited about it."
 
With the win, the Owls pull into a tie with East Tennessee State in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings at 3-7 and are 5-16 overall, while Lipscomb falls to 3-18 and 0-10 in the league.
 
"We have continued to talk in practice about teamwork is where our strength is and everybody needs to contribute in some form or fashion and not necessarily in the box score," said Perry. "Chloe Branch had a big stop on number one down the stretch. Everybody contributed. Somebody had a big board. Lisa Capellan had a huge charge. It was a great team effort and I am proud of it."
 
Playing the Bisons brings out the best in junior guard Kristina Wells, who recorded the first-ever KSU Division I triple-double when the teams met earlier in January. Wells was two points shy of tying her career high with 30 points, including 18-of-23 from the free throw line, to go along with seven rebounds and five assists in the Owls' victory.
 
Junior guard Bria Young poured in a career-high 18 points, on six three-pointers, for KSU.
 
The Owls started slow as the Bisons opened the game with a quick 4-0 lead, before KSU scored the next six points to claim a 6-4 lead with 17:15 on the clock.
 
Leading by two at 12-10 with just under 14 minutes left in the first, the Owls put on a defensive clinic to close out the half on a 26-6 run and hold their largest lead of the season at 22 points for a halftime lead of 38-16. KSU held the Bisons scoreless over two five-minute periods in the opening half, while holding LU to a single field goal in the final 13:42 of the first.
 
It was a dominate showing for the Owls as the visitors were held to 26 percent shooting and did not register an offensive rebound. Offensively, KSU shot 55 percent from behind the arc with Young hitting a pair of treys in the half and turned eight Bisons turnovers into 12 points for the home team.
 
Out of the break, the Owls continued to control the game as back-to-back Young three-pointers pushed the lead to 46-20, the largest of the game, with 18 minutes to go in the contest.
 
Despite the deficit the Bisons battled back with a 19-7 run over five minutes to pull within 11 at 66-55 with 7:14 remaining, but a Young three-pointer ended the Lipscomb momentum.
 
Five-straight points from Young and freshman guard Deandrea Sawyers widened the KSU lead to 76-60 with three and a half minutes left as both teams traded free throws down the stretch before the Owls went on to take the 88-79 victory.
 
Sawyers added 14 points for the Owls, while freshman forward Aareon Smith came within a point of her career-high with 13 points, on 6-of-11 shooting.
 
For the game, KSU had its second-best shooting effort of the season with a 50 percent clip from the field, including a season-best 64 percent from three-point land. KSU also converted 23-of-31 free throws for a 74 percent mark from the charity stripe. The Owls handed out 16 assists on 28 baskets, with Sawyers dishing out four helpers in the win.
 
KSU came away with a 36-33 victory on the boards as junior forward Valescia Dixon grabbed seven rebounds and freshman forward Chloe Branch brought down six.
 
Chandler Cooper led the Bisons with 23 points, while Danay Fothergill added 18 points and Ashley Southern registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
 
Kennesaw State continues its home stand with a 2 p.m. ET contest against Northern Kentucky in the KSU Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 8. The game will be available to watch on the ESPN3 network.
 
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.
 
 

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video