Box Score (PDF)

KENNESAW, Ga.- Alexis Poole was dominant throughout the entire game for Kennesaw State (5-11, 1-2) but the Owls fell 67-61 to Liberty (5-12, 1-3). The sophomore recorded 27 points and 15 rebounds.

Poole started strong for the Owls as she recorded six of the first eight KSU points. Each time the Owls would make a push to cut into the Liberty lead, the Lady Flames would answer on the other end of the floor and took a five-point lead with 1:24 to play in the opening frame. Kennesaw State closed the Liberty lead to just one point but the Lady Flames hit a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds to go in the frame to claim the 20-16 advantage at the end of the first.

Liberty could not stop Poole in the second quarter as the sophomore went into halftime with 20 points, one shy of her career-high, and eight rebounds. Liberty held a five-point advantage with 6:17 in the second quarter but the Owls chipped away at the lead and tied the contest at the 3:31 mark after a 3-point basket from Peyton Lewis. Each team claimed a two-point lead with under two minutes in the half, but Poole netted a turnaround jumper with 16 seconds remaining in the half to tie the game at 35 at the break.

The Owls fell behind quickly in the third frame as Liberty jumped out to a 42-37 lead at the 7:37 mark in the third quarter. Kennesaw State cut the lead to three points, but fell behind by five at the 4:39 media timeout. The Lady Flame advantage swelled to 10 points with under a minute to go, but Street drained two pairs of free throws to cut it to 53-47 at the end of the third.

Poole cut into the lead to make it 53-49 with just under nine minutes remaining. After back-to-back buckets with under five minutes, the Owls clawed back to pull within two points, 58-56.

Amani Johnson set the crowd at the Convocation Center on fire after burying a corner 3-pointer to give the Owls a 59-58 advantage. After trailing 61-59, Street hit a fadeaway floater to tie the game with a minute and 25 seconds in the game. The Lady Flames were able to make two buckets under a minute and held a 65-61 lead with 19.0 seconds to go. The Owls' final push came up short as they fell, 67-61.
 
Noteworthy

• Alexis Poole ended in double-digits for the 13^th time this year and fifth game in a row
• Poole recorded a career-high 27 points
• Poole was the first player since Allison Johnson (Savannah State – Nov. 26, 2016) to record 15 or more rebounds
• This game was Poole's eighth double-double of the season
• Amani Johnson ended with 10 points and six assists
• Kamiyah Street finished with 16 points, extending her streak to nine games with double-figures
• KSU suffered its first loss of the season

Up Next
Kennesaw closes out the three-game homestand against FGCU on Saturday (Jan. 19). Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.