Score: Kennesaw State 68, Lipscomb 64
Records: Kennesaw State (11-18, 6-8), Lipscomb (5-24, 2-12)
Key Players: Deandrea Sawyers (11 points, 7 rebounds); Aareon Smith (15 points, 5-of-7, 3-pointers); Kelly Dulkoski (12 points); Jasmine McAllister (11 points); Team 10-0 run over the final 2:32

Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (XML)
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn.  – Deandrea Sawyers reached the 1,000 career-point plateau and the Kennesaw State women's basketball team used a key 10-0 run over the final 2:32 to defeat host Lipscomb in its regular-season finale, taking a nail-bitter 68-84 final on Saturday (Feb. 27) evening.

Sawyers, who entered the night one point shy of 1,000 career points, made Kennesaw State's first basket of the game to reach the milestone. The junior now has 1,010 career points, which is 375 points away from breaking former teammate Kristina Well's all-time mark of 1,374 points for most points in KSU D-I history.

For the Owls, head coach Nitra Perry got strong efforts from Sawyers (11 points, seven rebounds), Aareon Smith (15 points, 5-of-7, 3-pointers), Kelly Dulkoski (12 points) and Jasmine McAllister (11 points) – as all four combined for 49 of KSU's 68 points on the night.

Trailing 64-58 with 2:32 remaining in the game, the Owls used a key 10-0 run with determined defense to hold off the Bisons.

After back-to-back 3-pointers from Lipscomb, KSU answered with a 3-pointer from Dulkoski, a jumper from McAllister with a foul to pull even at 64-64 with 1:14 left. Then, the Owl attack continued as senior guard Karly Frye hit a key layup for a 66-64 lead with 18 seconds remaining before Kennesaw State came up with its biggest stop defensively all night to earn the win.

For the game, Kennesaw State shot 26-of-61 (42.6 percent) from the floor and 11-of-26 from beyond the arc. The Owls also made 5-of-7 from the free throw line and totaled 15 assists. The game had nine lead changes and 10 ties throughout the tilt.

The Owls will enter the 2015-16 A-Sun Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 seeded Stetson on March 4 in Deland, Florida.

Next
Kennesaw State will enter the 2015-16 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed, and will trek back down to Stetson in Deland, Florida for a rematch with the Hatters. Stetson went 2-0 against the Owls in the regular season. The game is set to play Friday, March 4.
 
Coach Perry Quote
"I thought it was a total team effort and we had some key contributions in a tough environment. Karly (Frye) made a huge layup at the end, Deandrea (Sawyers), Kelly (Dulkoski) and Jasmine (McAllister) all played extremely well, especially at the end. Nine players scored points tonight and we got an all-around good effort, as everyone contributed and really committed to doing their jobs. I was extremely pleased to see Sawyers accomplish the 1,000 career-point milestone. She is a hard worker and for her to do that in her junior year is special. At the end, we knew we had to get a stop and everyone focused in to get the win. Playing fundamental basketball was key."   
 - Kennesaw State Head Coach Nitra Perry

Notes
- Deandrea Sawyers reached the 1,000 career point plateau, the first since Kristina Wells accomplished the milestone.
- In fact, Wells' 1,374 career points is the all-time leading scorer in D-I history, which Sawyers now is just 367 points away from breaking her mark. Sawyers is only a junior.
- For the 13^th time this season, Sawyers reached double figures in a single game.
- The Owls will enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and will face host No. 4 seed Stetson next weekend.
- Aareon Smith reached double-figure scoring for the 12^th time this season, and the first time since Feb. 4 at USC Upstate.
- Kelly Dulkoski reached double-figure scoring for the 17^th time this season, the most on the team this season.
- Kelly Dulkoski, Deandrea Sawyers and Aareon Smith combined for 49 points in the game, which totaled 72 percent of KSU's points on the night.
- Nine players scored at least a point on the night in a balanced scoring attack.
 
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