By: Aury St. Germain
KENNESAW, Ga.- After a 3-0 performance in Italy over the summer and a win over Thomas University in an exhibition,
Kennesaw State women's basketball opens its 2019-20 regular season slate at Georgia on Thursday (Nov. 7).
The Rundown
Opponent: Georgia (0-0, 0-0)
Date: November 7, 2019
Site: Athens, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (ET)
TV: SEC Network +
Live Stats: Click Here
Game Notes: KSU |
Georgia
Top Storylines
• Kennesaw State is set to play its first game against Georgia since Nov. 29, 2016 in Athens. The Owls fell 82-40 in the post-Thanksgiving matchup.
• The Owls return nine players, including all five starters from last year's squad. Kennesaw State comes into the 2019-20 season with last season's leading scorer,
Kamiyah Street, (16.9 PPG), leading rebounder,
Alexis Poole (8.4 RPG) and leader in assists (
Amani Johnson (4.4).
• During the summer, it was announced that the Owls were ranked No. 20 in the WBCA Academic rankings. The Owls were the sole program in the ASUN to receive the honor as well as the only program in the state of Georgia to be recognized on the list. KSU ended the season with a 3.54 GPA.
• With
Amani Johnson's 2018-19 ASUN Freshman of the year award, the Owls have won three-straight awards.
Carlotta Gianolla won the award for the 2016-17 season, while
Kamiyah Street won the award for the 2017-18 campaign.
• The Owls welcome two newcomers on this year's squad,
Gillian Piccolino and
Gabi Legister. Both hail from the Pittsburgh, Pa. area and logged significant playing time during the team's Italian Summer Tour.
• The Owls are coming off a 9-22 record, which included a 4-12 mark in conference play. The regular season was highlighted with a 70-47 win over NJIT on Feb. 9, 2018, when the Owls hosted Pink Day to honor Coach Berenato and her battle with breast cancer.
• After reaching the conference tournament with a No. 7 seed, the Owls knocked off No. 2 Stetson in the first round of the ASUN Championship Tournament. The victory was just the second time in league history that a No. 7 seed moved on the semifinals.
• Two new faces will be seen on the Kennesaw State bench this season. This summer, Coach Berenato introduced
Janell Crayton and
Alex Winchell as assistant coaches. Crayton comes to Kennesaw State from Hampton University, where she served as an assistant coach. Winchell joins the KSU staff from Memphis, where she served as the director of basketball operations.
• The Owls welcome two more student-athletes from the Pittsburgh, Pa., area with the additions of Piccolino and Legister, upping the total to four on the roster.
Noting Georgia
• Georgia enters the 2019-20 season after an 18-12 record last season, which included a 9-7 mark in conference play.
• Gabby Connally, who is entering her junior season on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team, was voted second-team All-Southeastern Conference in the preseason coaches poll.
• The Dawgs embarked on an Italian Tour this summer as well and finished 3-0 across the pond.
• Head Coach Joni Taylor is entering her fifth season at the helm of the program.
For more information on Kennesaw State athletics, follow @KSUOwlNation on Twitter or like Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook and Instagram.
