Box Score (PDF)

KENNESAW, Ga. – After a sluggish start, the Owls (5-10, 1-1) annihilated Jacksonville (8-7, 1-1) 75-55 inside the KSU Convocation Center.
After complete domination of the Dolphins, Kennesaw State moves to 4-0 at home this season.

The Owls fell behind early in the first quarter as Jacksonville jumped out to a quick 16-10 lead midway through the first quarter but were not startled. With 4:37 in the quarter, Amani Johnson showed off her unique vision and found Carlotta Gianolla under the basket for a layup to cut the lead to 16-12.

After Street ended up with a loose ball and knocked down a triple to cut the lead to just one point, Jacksonville answered with a trifecta of its own to push the advantage to four. Breanna Hoover netted her first triple with just under a minute to play to make it 19-18, Jacksonville.

Down by a pair, Johnson sank a 3-pointer at the 8:34 mark in the second quarter to give the Owls their first lead of the game 22-21. Kennesaw State pushed its lead to five points with 5:35 in the second frame after Johnson knocked down a midrange jumper among a superpod of dolphins. The Dolphins regained the lead at the 2:27 mark, 32-30.

The Owls corralled the run and took back the advantage with 33 seconds after Hoover drained her second 3-pointer of the game to make it 35-33, KSU at the break. Johnson totaled nine points and five assists in the first half.

The Owls carried the momentum out of the half and built a 40-33 lead with 7:20 in the third period after Street made a straight-on 3-pointer. The lead expanded to nine points after Street made her third field goal of the contest.

KSU saw the lead swell to as many as 13 points in the third quarter with the help of a parliament of owls. At the end of three quarters, Gianolla (12), Johnson (11) and Street (10) all were in double figures.

The Berenato Bunch forced a timeout with 6:41 to go in the game after going on 4-1 run and forcing three Dolphin turnovers. After Street hit a layup and Hoover hit her third 3-pointer of the game, Jacksonville called another timeout.

Kennesaw State continued to press and found itself up 72-51 after a Gianolla free throw with 3:01 to play. The Kennesaw State bench cleared with just over a minute to play and KSU cruised to a 75-55 win.

Quotable
"It is a signature win for the program. It was our best win since our staff has been here. I thought that we were relentless and that Coach Baker had a fabulous scout for us," said head coach Agnus Berenato. "We had to dig deep and I thought we did that. I thought we had great leadership in Kamiyah (Street) tonight. For our defense to be able to force 28 turnovers tonight, it was a special night."


Noteworthy

• First win against Jacksonville since Feb. 9, 2013
• Jacksonville did not have a bench point until 5:26 in the third quarter
• Five Owls ended in double figures (Street -18, Gianolla -13, Poole -13, Johnson -11 and Hoover -10)
• Every student-athlete on the roster saw game action
• The win is the second win by 20 or more points for the Owls this season
• The win marks the first conference win of the season
• The win is the first of 2019 for the Owls
• The six 3-pointers were the second-most trifectas the Owls have made this season
• Kamiyah Street has scored in double figures in eight-straight games
• Street recorded her sixth game with four or more steals
• Amani Johnson recorded eight assists, the ninth time she has logged five or more dimes
• The 11 turnovers committed by the Owls were tied for the fewest committed this season
• Kennesaw State forced Jacksonville into 28 turnovers, the most forced of any Division I opponent this season

Up Next
The Owls have a week off before returning to action against Liberty on Jan. 15 inside the KSU Convocation Center.