BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF) | PRESS CONFERENCE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY
 
KENNESAW, Ga. – Senior Kristina Wells registered her fifth double-double of the season, but it was not enough as the Kennesaw State women's basketball put up a valiant effort against No. 22/24 Florida Gulf Coast before ultimately falling 71-60 in an Atlantic Sun Conference contest on Thursday (Feb. 19) night at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
"What I took from tonight was that we still have that fight in us," said head coach Nitra Perry. "We got down really big from the first half and went into halftime down 14 and in that first half I thought we were tooth and nail. If a couple of blocks and charges go either way, it is a possession game. We had a little lull, were not making shots, foul trouble and I think that was kind of the difference in the game. You look at the stats, they only shot four more free throws than us in the first half, but I think they had three or four and-ones. Then they hit some timely threes and I just talked to the team about just how they hit barrages of threes. They usually hit two or three back-to-back and that is kind of like the equivalent to the dunk. It gives them a lot of momentum and I felt like that was kind of like the dagger for us in the first half. Second half I thought we played like, 'hey we belong here' and this is who we are."
 
Wells equaled her season-high with 20 points to lead all scorers, including connecting on 16-of-17 from the free throw line, and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds in the setback.
 
Junior Jasmine McAllister contributed 12 points and seven rebounds for the Owls (16-10, 5-6), while sophomore Deandrea Sawyers added 11 points.
 
Trailing by 23 at 56-33 with just under than 13 minutes to play in the second half, Wells and the Owls continued to battle with an 8-0 spurt that turned into a 23-8 run over the next 11 minutes to pull within 64-56 with 1:37 left on the clock, including 13 points from the Douglasville, Ga., native.
 
FGCU (24-2, 11-0) responded with a pair of free throws to push the margin back to double digits, but KSU again cut the lead to single digits. It would be too little, too late for the Owls, as the Eagles made just enough freebies to hold the home team at bay and earn the 71-60 victory.
 
In a fast-paced opening of the first half, the Owls stayed close to the league leaders early on, before back-to-back Eagle layups gave the visitors a 22-14 lead with 9:38 to go in the period.
 
A layup from freshman Neffie Lockley brought the Owls within four with six and a half minutes left, but a 19-4 run, including eight-straight points to open the spurt, gave the Eagles a 43-24 advantage with two minutes remaining in the half.
 
Back-to-back scores from redshirt-freshman Kelly Dulkoski and freshman Tianna Germain then sent the Owls into intermission trailing 43-29.
 
As a team, the Owls shot 32 percent from the field on 16-of-50 shooting, including a 2-of-14 mark from beyond the arc. KSU did continue its strong effort from the free throw line and converted 26-of-34 for a 76.5 percent clip.
 
FGCU posted a 46 percent field goal percentage, including a red hot 55.2 percent on 16-of-29 from the floor in the first half.
 
KSU won the rebounding battle for the fourth-straight game, 38-32, but were hampered by 20 turnovers on the night.
 
The two teams combined for 51 fouls, with five players fouling out of the contest.
 
Whitney Knight led the Eagles with 15 points, while Stephanie Haas added 14 in the win.
 
KSU continues its two-game Atlantic Sun Conference home stand with a contest against second-place Stetson on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
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.