By: By Al Barba
Tip: 7 p.m. (ET)
Big South Network |
Live Stats
Broadcasters: Tyler Shugart (P-B-P), Rhett Harris (Analyst)
Series Info: Kennesaw State leads, 6-0
Last Meeting: 2015, Kennesaw State, 49-47
Kennesaw State Game Notes
GAMEDAY STORYLINES
• Kennesaw State (0-4) continues its season-opening seven-game road trip when it travels to Clinton, S.C. to take on Presbyterian (1-3) Saturday at the Ross E. Templeton Center. Tip-off is 7 p.m. (ET). The Big South Network will provide coverage.
• Tuesday's game will mark a busy week for the Owls, who play three games in six days. Following its contest at Presbyterian, KSU will travel to Miami to take part in the Miami Thanksgiving Classic when it faces Maryland on Friday.
• The Owls are coming off a 78-59 setback at Furman on Saturday. Freshman guard Kamiyah Street led KSU with a career-high 27 points, two shy of the freshman program record of 29 set by current sophomore Carlotta Gianolla, who accomplished the feat last season.
• Presbyterian makes its regular-season home debut on Tuesday after opening the season with four straight road contests. The Blue Hose are coming off a 71-51 loss at Chattanooga on Saturday.
• The 2017-18 season marks Kennesaw State's 13th at the Division I level and the Owls are 133-225 (.371) since the 2005-06 season.
• Head coach
Agnus Berenato, who is in her 31st season as a Division I head coach, is in her second year leading the Owls. She has an all-time record of 454-437 (.509), in one-plus seasons at Kennesaw State.
• The Owls concluded the 2016-17 season with a 10-20 mark and advanced to the semifinals of the ASUN Conference Championship. KSU posted an 8-4 conference mark and earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, their highest in program history.
• The Owls return one starter - redshirt senior Clara Young - from last year's team. Also returning for KSU is sophomore forward/center Carlotta Gianolla, who was the ASUN Conference's unanimous Freshman of the Year.
SCOUTING PRESBYTERIAN
The Blue Hose are 1-3 on the season following a 71-51 loss at Chattanooga on Saturday. Presbyterian began its season with four straight road games that included a road trip to southern California where it played at San Diego State and No.7/8 UCLA. The Blue Hose are averaging 56.0 points a game while allowing 73.2 points a contest. Senior guard Cortney Storey is averaging 20.3 points a game to pace Presbyterian and is coming off a weekend in which she earned Big South Conference Player of the Week.
SERIES VERSUS PRESBYTERIAN
The Owls and Blue Hose will meet for the seventh time and Kennesaw State leads the all-time series, 6-0. The two programs last met during the 2015-16 season and the Owls came away with a 49-47 victory at the KSU Convocation Center.
FURMAN RECAP
Kamiyah Street scored a career-high 27 points to lead Kennesaw State during a 78-59 loss at Furman on Saturday. Street connected on 12-of-21 field goal attempts to finish two points shy of the KSU freshman record set by current Owls sophomore Carlotta Gianolla, who tallied 29 versus Jacksonville last season. The Owls (0-4) ran into a hot-shooting team as Furman (3-0) connected on 56.6 percent (30-for-53) of its field goal attempts, including 6-of-14 from behind the three-point arc. Cierra Carter and Le'Jzae Davidson paced the Paladins with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Street was the only Owl to score in double figures.
YOUTH SERVED
With five freshmen on its roster, Kennesaw State began the 2017-18 season as one of the youngest Division I teams in the country. KSU ranks seventh in the nation with 45.4 percent of its roster comprised of freshmen, while 63.6 percent of its players are either freshmen or sophomores, a mark that ranks 13th nationally. UNCG (87.7 percent) has the highest percentage of freshmen and sophomores, while Savannah State (64.3 percent) - an upcoming KSU opponent - has the highest percentage of freshmen on its roster.
STREET SOARS
Freshman guard Kamiyah Street has adjusted well to the college level as she currently leads the Owls in scoring, averaging 16.3 points a game. She has led KSU in scoring in each of the last three games while averaging 20.7 points a contest. She coming off a 27-point effort at Furman on Saturday. The Owls' rookie enters the week ranked fourth in the ASUN Conference in scoring and tops the league 3.3 steals a contest.
FRESHMAN FOLLIES
Freshmen Alexis Poole and Kamiyah Street have led the Owls in their first four games. The duo has combined to account for 33.7 percent of KSU's point. While Street tops the team with 16.3 points a contest, Poole is contributing 8.8 points and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds a game. The rookie forward is fourth in the ASUN Conference in rebounding.
YOUNG CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
Redshirt-senior Clara Young has made the most of her opportunities during her two-plus seasons as an Owl. She currently ranks fifth in Kennesaw State Division I history in assists (189), ninth in steals (78) and tied for seventh in games started (55).
PRESEASON HONORS
Sophomore Carlotta Gianolla was a unanimous selection to the 2017-18 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team. Gianolla is the reigning ASUN Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24 games during the 2016-17 campaign.
Gianolla, who was also a unanimous pick to the ASUN Conference All-Freshman Team, finished in the top 10 of the conference in points per game (10th), rebounding (6th) and field goal percentage (9th). She led all ASUN Conference freshmen in scoring, produced 17 double-digit scoring games and reached double digits in rebounds six times. She recorded six double-doubles and led the Owls in scoring and rebounding seven times.
OWLS 4TH IN ASUN COACHES POLL
Kennesaw State, coming off a 10-20 season and fourth-place finish a year ago, was picked fourth in the ASUN Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Defending tournament champion Florida Gulf Coast, garnered the top spot after receiving 62 points and six first-place votes. Jacksonville was second, after collecting two first-place votes and 53 points. Kennesaw State received 39 points.
UP NEXT
The Owls will spend the Thanksgiving weekend in South Florida for the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament. KSU opens up against Maryland on Friday before playing either Maine or host Miami on Sunday.
2016-17 REVIEW
• KSU hosted an ASUN Tournament game for first time in program history.
• The Owls posted a 62-60 home victory over NJIT for their first ASUN tourney win since 2011.
• Carlotta Gianolla became just the second KSU individual to earn ASUN Conference Freshman of the Year, joining Taylor Mills (2011-12). She was a unanimous pick.
• Senior Deandrea Sawyers scored 20 points in the Owls' season finale at Stetson to become KSU's Division I all-time leading scorer with 1,380.
• Sawyers was a second team All-ASUN selection, while Gianolla was selected to the All-Freshman Team. Clara Young and Chloe Branch were named to the All-Academic Team.
WELCOME TO THE NEST
Agnus Berenato and her staff signed two highly talented recruits during last week's early signing period. Amani Johnson (North Versailles, Pa. / East Allegheny HS) and Peyton Lewis (Hampton, Ga. / Locust Grove HS) will enroll at Kennesaw State next fall and join the Owls' roster. The focus for Berenato and her staff was strengthening the backcourt as they added a shooting guard (Lewis) and point guard (Johnson).
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.
- #GoKSUOwls -
