Score: Kennesaw State 56, North Alabama, 67
Records: Kennesaw State (3-1, 0-1), North Alabama (2-8, 1-0)
Key Players: Jah'Che Whitfield (13 pts, 5 rebs), Stacie Jones (10 pts, 6 rebs), Gillian Piccolino (11 pts, 4 rebs), Julia Rodriguez (10 pts, 2 rebs) and Amani Johnson (6 assts, 4 rebs, 4 steals) 

THE STORYLINE
The Owls battled it out against the Lions in a physical war, but a huge second half from North Alabama saw the Owls lose their opening ASUN fixture.

COACH KHADIJA HEAD QUOTES
On her thoughts on the game…
"Tonight was a hard-fought game against a familiar opponent. This is the first road game for our crew and thankfully we have an opportunity to showcase our talents tomorrow."

On the play of her bench…
"Our bench productivity was impressive today as they contributed 35 points as a unit, with the brightest spot being a Gillian Piccolino scoring burst."

On what needs to be different tomorrow…
"We did a good job crashing the offensive boards. We just couldn't convert them into second-chance points and that's an integral part of our identity. Our team is competitive and will welcome the opportunity to compete again tomorrow."

HOW IT HAPPENED 
The game opened up as a physical battle between the two teams, with the Owls forcing the Lions into five fouls in the first quarter. 

The freshmen were pulling more than just their weight, with Julia Rodriguez, Stacie Jones and Jodi Mullins scoring a combined 14 points in the first quarter. 

Kennesaw State ended the first quarter leading the game 19-17.

While co-captain Amani Johnson didn't score in the first half, she ran the game in different ways. The junior had five helpers, two steals and two rebounds after the halftime buzzer sounded. 

In her first game as an ASUN Newcomer of the Week, Jah'Che Whitfield shot two jumpers in the second quarter to bring her point tally to seven. The two teams went back into the locker room with North Alabama leading 27-25.

Sophomore Gabi Legister started the second half on the right foot, shooting a successful layup 18 seconds into the third quarter to tie the game; however, North Alabama started to dictate the pace of the matchup. 

Gillian Piccolino fought hard to keep the Owls in it, scoring five points in the last minute of the quarter to bring the contest to a 40-50 scoreline.

The Lions would continue to keep their distance in the fourth quarter, with the North Alabama team starting a five-minute, 8-0 run with 5:56 to go in the game.

NOTES
- Freshmen scored 24 of the Owls' 56 points, all of which came from the bench.
- Amani Johnson extends her run as the ASUN's leading playmaker with six assists against North Alabama. Johnson played all but two minutes of the game.
- The Kennesaw State bench outscored North Alabama's 35-19

UP NEXT
The Owls head back into North Alabama's Flowers Hall to take on the Lions tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. EST. 

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsWBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.