Scores: Kennesaw State 62, Georgia State 66
Records: Kennesaw State (0-1), Georgia State (1-0)
Key Players: Aareon Smith (20 pts, 4-for-9, 3-pointers); Deandrea Sawyers (16 pts, 6 reb, 32 min); Jasmine McAllister (10 pts, 6 revs, 32 min); Team Free Throws (14-of-17 -82.4%)
 
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle versus crosstown rival Georgia State on Friday (Nov. 13) evening at the KSU Convocation Center in a non-conference tilt.

Before 704 fans, the Owls (0-1) jumped out to a quick 31-15 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Panthers (1-0) held KSU scoreless for the remainder of the half and used a 51-31 run to finish the game for a 66-62 victory.

Junior forward Aareon Smith led the Owls' offensive attack with 20 points, going 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and finished 6-for-9 from the stripe. Junior guard Deandrea Sawyers added 16 points and pulled down six boards while senior forward Jasmine McAllister chipped in 10 points and six boards. In all, KSU totaled seven players in the scoring column and senior guard Karly Frye directed the Owls with eight assists.

The Owls jumped out of the gate with 3-pointers from Clara Young, Smith and freshman guard Iceis Walker to give Kennesaw State an eight point advantage (19-11) after the first 10 minutes of play.
Kennesaw State continued its momentum in the second, as the duo of McAllister and Sawyers helped the Owls jump out to a 31-15 edge.

However, the Panthers would respond with a 13-0 run to pull within three at 31-28 at half with Makeba Ponder leading the way with eight points in the first 20 minutes. GSU held Kennesaw State to 44 percent shooting in the half and 5-of-13 from deep.

The two teams battled evenly in the second half, totaling nine ties and three lead changes in a hard-fought, grind-it-out final 20 minutes of action.

The Panthers' largest lead in the second half reached six with 3:05 remaining in the game, but the Owls fought back and pulled within 64-62 in the final 30 seconds. After a pair of missed free throws by GSU, Kennesaw State had a chance to tied or take the lead in its final possession.

But, the Panthers held on and forced a turnover in the final seconds to earn the win.
 
Up Next
Kennesaw State will be right back in action at the KSU Convocation Center on Monday (Nov. 16) evening, welcoming non-conference foe Presbyterian on campus for a 7 p.m. ET tilt. The Owls are 5-0 versus the Blue Hose in the D-I era.
 
Coach Perry On The Loss 
"I thought tonight we saw what our team was made of. We have a high character team and have the ability to score the ball. We also learned that we need to block out and rebound the ball. GSU rebounded us by five, but second chance opportunities and key plays down the stretch really hurt us. Georgia State is a really good basketball team. They have some kids that can score the ball and they made some big plays down the stretch. I am proud of the way we fought tonight against a really good basketball team."
 - Kennesaw State Head Coach Nitra Perry

Notes

• The Owls are now 2-8 over their last 10 season-opening games, with wins coming against Jacksonville State (74-70 – OT) and College of Charleston (68-61) in 2014-15.
• Georgia State is now 7-1 all-time against the Owls.
• Aareon Smith totaled a career-high 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.
• Smith's four 3-pointers fell one shy of tying her career high. She had five 3-pointers against North Florida on Feb. 14, 2015.
• Karly Frye continued her giving ways on Friday night, dishing out eight assists. She totaled four or more assists on 11 occasions a season ago.
• Kennesaw State will take on Presbyterian on Monday night, and holds a 5-0 all-time mark against the Blue Hose.
   
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