JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman
Carlotta Gianolla scored a career-high 27 points and collected 12 rebounds, and senior
Deandrea Sawyers added 20 points to lead the Kennesaw State women's basketball team to a 67-61 victory over North Florida in an ASUN Conference game Monday at the UNF Arena in Jacksonville.
Tied 43-43 after three quarters, the Owls (3-16, 2-3) outscored the Ospreys (8-12, 1-4) 24-18 in the fourth quarter after North Florida opened the period with a 7-0 run. Gianolla scored nine points down the stretch and
Kelly Dulkoski hit a big 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining to give Kennesaw State a 59-55.
"This was a great team win and a huge road victory. To get a road split is big for us," head coach
Agnus Berenato said. "The team played with a lot of grit. That was one of the keys. We were down seven (in the fourth quarter), I called time out and told the kids to just relax. I called a play and told them that all we have to do is get ahead by one (point), and we can win this game."
Following the timeout, the Owls went on a 9-3 run and took a 54-53 lead on a 3-pointer by Sawyers with 3:32 to play.
After North Florida tied the score at 54-54, Kennesaw State's defense sparked a 10-1 run as the Owls had seven straight defensive stops that led to 65-55 lead with :17 remaining.
"We didn't crumble," Berenato said. "Carlotta was amazing tonight, both defensively and offensively, Deja (McPhee) came up with some big rebounds, and
Katie Polinsky was huge on the boards.
"Kelly (Dulkoski) hadn't hit a three all game and we told her to keep shooting, and she had the confidence to keep shooting, and hit a huge shot for us," Berenato added.
McPhee scored six points, including 4-for-6 from the free throw line, and had a career-high 11 rebounds.
Kennesaw State was dominant on the boards as it outrebounded North Florida, 47-27.
Gianolla was a major force early connecting on 6-of-11 field goal attempts for 14 points and helping the Owls to 27-25 halftime lead. The KSU freshman finished 10-for-19 from the field and was 7-for-11 from the foul line.
NEXT UP
The Owls will conclude a stretch of three straight road games when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to meet USC Upstate on Saturday (Jan. 28). Tip-off is 4:30 p.m. (ET).
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook. Follow Coach Berenato on Twitter @KSUCoachB.
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