Scores: Kennesaw State 67, Florida A&M 69 (OT)
Records: Kennesaw State (1-4), Florida A&M (2-3)
Key Players: Tayler Smith (17 points); Jasmine McAllister (11 points, 13 rebounds); Deandrea Sawyers (12 points); Iceis Walker (10 points)
 
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State women's basketball program dropped a hard-fought, grind-it-out overtime battle to Florida A&M, 69-67, at the Al Lawson Center on Tuesday (Nov. 24) evening in a non-conference tilt.

The Owls (1-4) fought back from as many as 11 points down to force overtime, but the Rattlers (2-3) held off KSU's late surge for their home-opening win in front of 278 fans.

Four KSU players totaled double-figure scoring, led by Tayler Smith's career-high 17 points. Deandrea Sawyers added 12, while Jasmine McAllister and Iceis Walker totaled 11 and 10 points, respectively. McAllister tallied the only double-double on the night, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with her 11 points.

Trailing by one with under two minutes remaining in regulation, McAllister's old-fashion 3-point play gave the Owls a 61-59 lead. Kennesaw State followed things up when Sawyers hit a lay-up to give the Owls a 63-59 lead with 90 seconds remaining.

However, back-to-back buckets by the Rattlers forced overtime, including a deep shot just inside the arc with 7.8 seconds left to force the extra five minutes needed.

Once again trailing but not out, T. Smith's lay-up after an offensive rebound tied things up with seconds remaining in overtime. But, FAMU's basket under two seconds left by Khadejra Young gave the Rattlers their second win of the season.

The Owls trailed by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, but it was the bench that sparked head coach Nitra Perry's squad, finishing the final minutes on a 6-0 run to pull within five of the Rattlers.

Kennesaw State got nine points off the bench to spark the Owls throughout the first 10 minutes, including seven straight points from T. Smith and a bucket from freshman forward Allison Johnson to end the quarter.

KSU outscored FAMU 16-13 in the second quarter, led by the scoring of Johnson with two field goals in the paint. Senior point guard Karly Frye also chipped in with three points and junior wing Aareon Smith hit a 3-pointer to help the Owls get within two points after the first 20 minutes of play, 34-32.

However, it was FAMU that jumped out to a 40-32 lead in the opening minutes of the third thanks to a 6-0 run to begin the quarter. The Rattlers found themselves up as many as 10, but Kennesaw State once again battled back.

Walker scored five straight points as part of a 9-2 run to spark the Owls' offense in the third quarter and a bucket from Sawyers and a pair of free throws by T. Smith put KSU within distance.

Up Next
Kennesaw State will take on Western Carolina and New Orleans over the weekend (Nov. 28-29) in the 2015 Thanksgiving Classic. The games will take place on Saturday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29, respectively, with both beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET at the KSU Convocation Center.  
 
Coach Perry Quote
"For us, it's all about energy and she [Tayler] came in and gave us a huge, huge lift. She had seven straight points in the first quarter and it got us going. I was really proud of her effort tonight. Overall, it's about how we got down. It's still a learning process for us and I'm challenging our upperclassmen to show up every day. That's a hard thing to do when the expectation is great but they have to figure out how to do it. It will be a good feeling to get back home."
 - Kennesaw State Head Coach Nitra Perry

Notes
- The meeting between FAMU and Kennesaw State marked the second in programs' history.
- It marked the second time in as many games, KSU played an opponent for the second-ever meeting. The Owls played Florida on Saturday in their second-ever meeting with the Gators.
- It marked Kennesaw State's first overtime game of the season. The Owls went 1-0 in OT in 2014-15.
- Tayler Smith's 17 points marked a career-high.
- Kennesaw State has had three players (Aareon Smith, Iceis Walker and Tayler Smith) record career highs in points in just five games this season.
- Four Owls scored in double-figures and eight total players tallied at least one point in the game.
- KSU outrebounded FAMU on the evening by a 41-35 edge.
- Kennesaw State made 18 free throws on the night, which is a season high for the Owls.

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.