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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Junior Jasmine McAllister registered her Atlantic Sun Conference-leading 13th double-double of the season, but it would not be enough as the Kennesaw State women's basketball fell to Northern Kentucky, 68-61, on Wednesday (Feb. 25) at the Bank of Kentucky Center.
 
"I think we made the worst at the worst times," said head coach Nitra Perry. "That was it. I thought we made some good plays early on. We fought early on and then a couple of threes, missed assignments in transition turned the game. And then we made some untimely turnovers, which were frustrating since we had 21 turnovers on a team that did not press and that was pretty much it in a nutshell."
 
With the loss, the Owls (16-12, 5-8) fall into sixth place in the A-Sun standings and are one game out of a tie for fourth place with USC Upstate and Jacksonville, both of whom own a 6-7 conference mark.
 
McAllister led the Owls with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Karly Frye was two points shy of tying her career-high with 11 points, including three second-half three pointers. Sophomore Aareon Smith joined the duo in double figures with 12 points, including a 2-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.
 
In a slow-moving first half of action that saw three lead changes and three ties, neither team took more than a four-point edge until the Norse (16-12, 7-6) grabbed a 16-11 advantage with just over seven minutes remaining in the period.
 
The Owls responded with a 7-2 mini-run over the next three and a half minutes to even score at 18-18, but NKU answered to take a 23-19 lead with 2:11 left on the clock.
 
KSU then ended the half with eight-straight points, bookended by a pair of Smith three-pointers to head into the break with a 27-23 advantage.
 
After evening the score at 34-34 with 16 minutes remaining in the second, the Norse sprinted ahead to take a 43-37 lead on five-straight points.  
 
Four-straight free throws from senior Kristina Wells and McAllister trimmed the lead to one at 47-46 with just under eight minutes to go in the game, but a 13-4 run for the home team stalled the KSU momentum.
 
A Wells traditional three-point play brought the Owls within 62-56 with two minutes left, but a timely Norse trey put the game out of reach as NKU went on for the 68-61 win.
 
As a team, KSU shot 41.7 percent on 20-of-48 shooting, while connecting on 8-of-21 from beyond the arc. The Owls struggled at the line, converting 13-of-26 freebies for 50 percent.
 
NKU connected on 21-of-45 from the floor for 46.7 percent, while also making 8-of-18 three pointers and 18-of-23 from the free throw line.
 
The Owls dished out 14 assists, with Wells leading the way with six. Sophomore Deandrea Sawyers tied a career-high with five helpers on the night.
 
Both teams were hampered by 21 turnovers, while the Norse won the rebounding battle, 33-28.
 
Kelley Wiegman led all scorers with 17 points for the Norse, while Melody Doss added 15 points in the win.
 
KSU next returns to the KSU Convocation Center for their final regular season game of the season against Lipscomb at 12 p.m. ET in Kennesaw. The Owls will honor seniors Kristina Wells and Valescia Dixon prior to the game's tipoff.
 
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.