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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Down but not out in its Atlantic Sun Conference quarterfinal contest, the Kennesaw State women's basketball team put together a dramatic second-half comeback behind a small, but rowdy group of fans, before eventually falling 55-54 to fourth-seeded Jacksonville on Friday (March 6) night as the fifth-seeded Owls' last-second three-point attempt fell short at Historic Swisher Gymnasium.
 
KSU wraps up an historic season with an overall record of 17-13, the winningest season in the Division I era for the Owls and the first winning campaign since the 2008-09 season. The Owls finished in a tie for fourth in the A-Sun with a 6-8 conference mark, their best finish in the A-Sun since 2011-12.
 
"I thought we had a heck of a first half and then the second half had a lull, but I was proud of our effort and how we fought back," said head coach Nitra Perry. "When I look at the game, free throws were key. We still had an opportunity to have won the game if we made our free throws, but I am proud of their effort and just hate the season had to end that way."

Junior Jasmine McAllister, the 2015 A-Sun Newcomer of the Year, paced the Owls with her league-leading 15th double-double of the season with 18 points, including an 8-of-10 mark from the charity stripe, to go along with 14 boards and a career-high seven blocks. Seniors Kristina Wells added her eighth double-double of the year and poured in 10 points and 10 rebounds in her final outing in the Black and Gold.
 
"It was fitting for Kristina to end her career with another double-double," said Perry of her senior. "She did an excellent job. She played like you want a senior to play. To me, she was what an A-Sun senior should look like."
 
Joining the duo in double figured was sophomore Aareon Smith, who poured in 15 points, including a pair of three-pointers, for the Owls.
 
After the Dolphins opened the second half with a 27-8 run, KSU entered the final eight minutes of regulation trailing by 17 at 55-54 with 8:05 left on the clock. The Owls then put together a remarkable comeback with 16 unanswered points as KSU held the home team scoreless for the next seven minutes and 14 seconds.
 
A free throw from Sherranda Reddick with 51 seconds remaining ended the JU drought and gave the Dolphins the 55-54 edge.
 
After a defensive rebound gave the Dolphins the ball back with less than 30 seconds to go, Wells provided more heroics with a steal, before being fouled. She would make one-of-two free throws to bring KSU within one.
 
JU then missed a front-end of a one-and-one, giving the Owls the ball back with one last chance to win the game, but junior Karly Frye's three-pointer from the corner went long as the Dolphins secured the 55-54 victory.
 
It was a fast-paced first half of action in Jacksonville, with the home team jumping out to a quick 10-4 advantage four minutes in the game. With the arrival of the Kennesaw State lacrosse team came a momentum shift as the Owls used a 15-3 run, including seven-straight points to open the spurt, to take a 23-16 lead with 7:27 remaining in the period.
 
Back-to-back baskets from the Dolphins closed the gap as back-and-forth action ended the half with the Owls leading 29-27.

With the loss, the Owls bid farewell to seniors Wells and Valescia Dixon, who are both on track to graduate this spring.
 
As a team, KSU shot 30 percent on 18-of-60 shooting and went 15-of-22 from the free throw line for 68.2 percent, while holding the Dolphins to 36.4 percent on 24-of-66 shooting.
 
JU won the battle of the boards, 50-41, while KSU capitalized on 14 Dolphin turnovers for 22 points.
 
Briona Brown led all scorers with 20 points for the Dolphins, while A-Sun Freshman of the Year Kayla Gordon turned in a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds for the home team.
 
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