By: By Al Barba
GAMEDAY STORYLINES
• Kennesaw State (1-13) and Lipscomb (3-12) open ASUN Conference play Saturday at Allen Arena in Nashville. Tip-off is 2:30 p.m. (ET).
• The Owls are 4-7 all time in ASUN Conference openers since joining the league for the 2005-06 season. KSU has won two straight conference openers, including a 55-54 victory over Lipscomb last season in Kennesaw.
• Kennesaw State swept the season series versus Lipscomb a year ago en route to a 6-8 conference mark.
• The 2016-17 season represents the 35th year of Kennesaw State women's basketball and 12th at the NCAA Division I level.
• Highly-respected head coach
Agnus Berenato is in her first season leading the Owls' program.
• Berenato is in her 30th overall season as a head coach that includes tenures at Rider (1981-85), Georgia Tech (1988-2003), Pitt (2003-13) and Kennesaw State. Heading into Saturday's game, Berenato has posted a 445-426 (.511) record and guided her teams to 11 postseason appearances (5 NCAA, 6 WNIT).
• Senior guard
Aareon Smith enters conference play as the Owls' hottest shooter. In the past two games against Wofford (Jan. 2) and Temple (Jan. 4), Smith has averaged 12.5 points a game and shot 45.5 percent (10-for-22) from the field. She recorded a season-high 15 points versus Temple.
TEMPLE RECAP
Senior guard
Aareon Smith scored a season-high 15 points to lead Kennesaw State during a 79-38 loss to visiting Temple on Wednesday. Donnaizha Fountain scored a game-high 20 points to lead Temple (10-3), which won its sixth straight game, and is among teams receiving votes in the most recent USA TODAY Coaches' Poll. The visiting Owls took control early, jumping out to an 8-0 lead, against an undermanned Kennesaw State team. Temple finished the game shooting 44.8 percent from the field, won the rebounding battle, 46-31, and scored 34 points off 27 Kennesaw State turnovers. The visitors made 21 of 37 free throw attempts, while KSU was 9-for-14 from the foul line.
SCOUTING LIPSCOMB
The Bisons enter conference play with a 3-12 mark and have lost two in a row, including a 71-43 setback to Princeton on Dec. 31. Lipscomb is averaging 53.7 points a contest and is led by senior forward Alex Banks, who is contributing 11.1 points a contest and contributing a team-leading 5.6 rebounds a game.
SERIES VERSUS LIPSCOMB
Saturday's contest marks the 22nd all-time meeting between the two programs, and Kennesaw State leads the series, 15-6. The Owls captured both games a year ago, posting a 55-54 win in Kennesaw and winning 68-64 in Nashville. KSU has won the last three meetings between the two programs.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 14) when it hosts Stetson at the KSU Convocation Center beginning at 2 p.m.
CHAMPIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
The Owls excelled in the classroom during the fall semester, posting a program record 3.57 grade-point average. A total of four student-athletes -
Chloe Branch,
Carlotta Gianolla,
Katie Polinsky and
Alexandra Landby - recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs.
THE GRADUATE
Redshirt junior
Chloe Branch participated in commencement exercises on Dec. 13. The Owls' forward earned a bachelor's degree in political science and is pursuing a master's degree in public administration.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Owls just concluded a non-conference schedule that was ranked the 36th most difficult in country. The 14 teams on KSU's scheduled combined to register a 113-96 (.541) record, with eight posting winning records and six recording at least 10 wins.
GIANOLLA ASUN NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Freshman
Carlotta Gianolla was recently honored for her impressive performance during the Puerto Rico Classic by being named the ASUN Conference Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Week (Dec. 26). The Owls' rookie averaged 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and connected on 43.2 percent of her field goal attempts, while averaging 28.3 minutes a contest. She was KSU's leading scorer in two of three games, reached double figures in each contest, and posted her first career double-double. Gianolla opened the tournament with 12 points and five rebounds versus Arkansas State before scoring a career-high 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds versus Portland State. The Marcon, Italy native capped the week by contributing 10 points and collecting a career-high 10 rebounds versus Xavier.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
During its three games at the Puerto Rico Classic, Kennesaw State improved its offensive production. The Owls averaged 60.0 points a game and had three players -
Carlotta Gianolla (12.0),
Deandrea Sawyers (11.3) and
Allison Johnson (11.0) - post double-digit scoring averages. Additionally,
Clara Young averaged 9.7 points a contest. The 60.0 points a game is the best three-game mark of the season. The Owls are averaging of 53.2 points a contest for the season.
ESTABLISHING CAREER HIGHS
In the win over Savannah State, several Owls established single-game career highs. Here is a list:
•
Allison Johnson (16 rebounds; 3 blocks)
•
Deandrea Sawyers (5 steals)
•
Deja McPhee (9 points, 9 rebounds)
CLARA YOUNG
Clara Young ranks fourth in the ASUN with 3.4 assists a contest.
ALLISON JOHNSON IN THE ASUN
Sophomore forward
Allison Johnson ranks fifth in the ASUN in rebounding (7.2).
ICEIS WALKER
Sophomore guard
Iceis Walker, who is averaging 5.8 points a contest, is shooting 78.8 percent (26-for-33) from the free throw line, a mark ties for sixth in the ASUN Conference.
COACHING CONNECTIONS
The 2016-17 schedule features two opponents that are led by former assistants of first-year head coach
Agnus Berenato. MaChelle Joseph, who was an assistant under Berenato at Georgia Tech, is now leading the Yellow Jackets' program, while her former assistant at Pitt, Yolett McPhee-McCuin, is now guiding the Jacksonville program.
THE COACHING STAFF
Head coach
Agnus Berenato has assembled an experienced and well-respected coaching staff. Including Berenato's 29 years as a Division I head coach, the KSU coaching staff has a combined 55 years of experience at the Division I level. The staff is comprised of
Khadija Head (8 years),
Sherill Baker (4 years) and
Lisa Pace (14 years).
WELCOME TO THE NEST
Head coach
Agnus Berenato announced her first signing class on Thursday as the coaching staff inked four players to National Letters-of-Intent and one individual to a Grant-In-Aid. Brianna Dixon (Duluth, Ga. / Duluth High School), Breanna Hoover (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Blackhawk High School), Lexi Mann (Stone Mountain, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian) and Alexis Poole (Ellenwood, Ga. / Stockbridge High School) have signed National Letters-of-Intent and will enroll at Kennesaw State next fall. Caroline Dan (Copenhagen, Denmark / Falkonergaarden Gymnasium) has signed a Grant-In-Aid and will join the program in January.
OWLS 6TH IN ASUN COACHES POLL
Kennesaw State, coming off an 11-19 season and fifth-place finish a year ago, was picked sixth in the ASUN Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Jacksonville, which captured last season's conference tournament, was picked first in the poll after receiving 60 points and five first-place votes. Regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast was voted second, after collecting two first-place votes and 55 points. Kennesaw State garnered 23 points.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlsWBB and or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook. Follow Coach Berenato on Twitter @KSUCoachB.
-GoKSUOwls-
