Score: Kennesaw State 70, North Florida 55
Records: Kennesaw State (7-10, 2-0), North Florida (4-13, 0-2)
Key Players: Aareon Smith (23 points, 6-of-8 3-pointers); Kelly Dulkoski (11 points, 3-of-5 3-pointers); Jasmine McAllister (7 points, 12 rebounds); 3-Point Shooting (10-20, 50%); Team Defense (22-of-70, 31.4%)
 
Box Score (XML) | Box Score (PDF)

Kennesaw, Ga.  – Hot shooting and relentless defense paved way for the Kennesaw State's women's basketball team Saturday (Jan. 16) evening, leading wire-to-wire over host North Florida in a 70-55 Atlantic Sun Conference triumph at the UNF Arena.

The Owls were paced offensively by Aareon Smith, who finished with 23 points –which tied her career high in points—on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 75 percent (6-of-8) from beyond the arc. Jasmine McAllister totaled seven points and a team-high 12 rebounds and Kelly Dulkoski added 11 points (3-of-5 from beyond the arc) for the game.
 
The 70 points were the second-most points scored in a win this season as Kennesaw State shot 52 percent from the field and a scorching 10-of-20 from beyond the arc. In fact, the Owls fell two 3-pointers shy of tying a single-game record since becoming a Division I member in 2005-06.
 
The Owls (7-10, 2-0) shot a blistering 60 percent from beyond the arc in the opening minutes, bursting out to a 24-6 lead after the first quarter and never looked back to improve to 2-0 in the Atlantic Sun with the win over the Ospreys (4-13, 0-2).  
 
Dulkoski hit a wide open 3-pointer on Kennesaw State's opening possession and the team followed, hitting 6-of-10 (60 percent) from beyond the arc in the quarter. In the frame, Dulkoski, Smith and Alexis Jean combined to hit 6-of-9 from 3-point land and scored 20 of Kennesaw State's 24 points in the opening frame.
 
On the other end of the floor, the Owls' defense was resilient and allowed just six points on 11 percent shooting to claim an 18-point lead heading to the second quarter.
 
Smith totaled a 17 of the Owls' 40 points in the half on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including a scorching 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from beyond the arc.
 
In all, six KSU players tallied points in the scoring column in the first 20 minutes of action as Kennesaw State shot 53.3 percent overall and held the Ospreys to just 28.6 percent shooting from the field in the first half, taking a 40-24 advantage into the locker rooms.
 
The Owls continued their hot shooting in the third, hitting 57 percent from the field overall and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, outscoring North Florida 18-16 to keep their lead intact heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Kennesaw State led by as many as 21 points, but a fourth quarter charge from North Florida got the game within 12. But, that would be the closest the Ospreys could get as the Owls had an answer for every UNF run to earn the win.
 
Up Next
Kennesaw State continues its Florida road trip with a date against Atlantic Sun Conference foe Jacksonville on Monday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at Swisher Gym. The Owls will take on the Dolphins on ESPN3 and coverage can be found on KSUOwls.com.
 
Coach Perry Quote
"We always want to take the first available shot. I felt like Jasmine McAllister came in and was a huge presence on the inside that really opened things up on the outside. She came in and got some steals that set the tone defensively. Aareon Smith and Kelly Dulkoski played really well tonight. Everyone played together tonight and the energy was great. I was excited to see how focused we were and that's a good sign moving forward. This is the time we need to be playing well and we are 2-0 in conference play. We talked about changing our mindset and we were more focused."
 - Kennesaw State Head Coach Nitra Perry

Notes
- The Owls improved to 14-5 at the UNF Arena against the Ospreys and haven't lost to UNF since 2014.
- The all-time series is the longest of any Atlantic Sun Conference opponent due to being in the Peach Belt Conference together in the Division II era.
- The Owls' 24-point first quarter marked the third-highest scoring frame of the season.
- KSU shot 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, the most 3-pointers hit in a quarter this season.
- Aareon Smith record a career-high six 3-pointers in a single game, shooting 75 percent from deep.
- Aareon Smith tied KSU's single-game high with her 6th 3-pointer of the game. Kelly Dulkoski made six back on Nov. 19, 2015.
- The Owls totaled three players with double-figure scoring on the day, as Smith, Dulkoski and Allison Johnson totaled 63 percent of its points on the day.
 
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.