By: Matteen Zibanejadrad
Saturday, Jan. 30
2:00 p.m. EST – Kennesaw State (5-5, 1-5) at Bellarmine (1-10, 1-5)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Sunday, Jan. 31
2:00 p.m. EST – Kennesaw State (5-5, 1-5) at Bellarmine (1-10, 1-5)
Links: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Location: Freedom Hall | Louisville, Ky.
Game Notes: KSU
TOP STORYLINES
» The Kennesaw State women's basketball team travels to Louisville, Ky. for the first meeting between the Owls and the Bellarmine Knights in women's basketball history. Bellarmine is playing its debut season in the ASUN Conference and in NCAA's Division I.
» KSU will look to continue its winning ways against Bellarmine, after capturing its first conference victory in a 81-73 win against North Florida last Sunday. 3-pointers were raining down in the Convocation Center, with the Owls setting a new program record for trifectas in a Division I game with 14. Seven of those threes came from the fingertips of Amani Johnson, scoring on every one of her 3-point shots. Gillian Piccolino scored six treys of her own, with both Pennsylvania natives scoring 22 and 20 points respectively.
» While all of her scoring came from inside the perimeter, Stacie Jones had a 16-point, nine-rebound performance that impressed the KSU faithful. The former ASUN Freshman of the Week was a rebound away from her third double-double of the season. The Kathleen, Ga. native's form has established the forward as a top-three scorer for the Owls, as well as a top-10 rebounder and shot-blocker in the ASUN Conference.
» Kennesaw State finds itself in the top-10 rankings of Division I offensive rebounders. Grabbing 17.4 offensive boards a game, the Owls currently sit in seventh place in the nation. Offensive rebounds are a fundamental part of the KSU game, with much of the team's offense generated through second-chance opportunities.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
After a slow start to the season, Owls' co-captain Amani Johnson has absolutely caught fire in the last three weeks. The junior had a career weekend against North Florida, and not all of that is due to her seven 3-pointers and 22 points on Sunday afternoon.
In Saturday's game, the guard passed both the 300-assist and 150-steal threshold against the Ospreys; Johnson's play is cementing her legacy as one of the greatest Owls of all time.
After an 11-dime performance on Sunday for her first double-double of the season, Johnson is now a measly 16 assists away from becoming the best playmaker in KSU's program history.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
The Owls' meeting against the Knights will be the fourth occasion that KSU has played a team for the first time this season. In those previous three games, Kennesaw State is undefeated.
The women's basketball team welcomed Martin Methodist College to the Convocation Center in the premier game of the 2020-21 season, beating the Tennessee team 86-60 on Dec. 16. Less than a week later, KSU set a Division I scoring record when they beat Life University 97-67.
The biggest win of the bunch came against Berry College with a defensive masterclass resulting in an 86-36 win for the Owls. KSU held the Vikings to just 11 points in the first half, with Berry College scoring just a bucket in the second quarter.
There are a couple of noticeable differences between the Owls' previous three games against first-time opponents and this weekend's series against Bellarmine: all of the previous games took place on home turf against non-conference, non-Division I teams.
UP NEXT
The Owls will return home to the Convocation Center next weekend to take on the Lipscomb Bisons on Saturday, Feb. 6 and Sunday, Feb. 7 at 2 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.
