By: Matteen Zibanejadrad
Kennesaw State (4-6), (0-0) vs. Auburn (7-3), (0-0)
Location: Auburn, Ala. | Auburn Arena
Date: Monday, Dec. 20
Time: 1 p.m. EST
Live Stats | Watch | Game Notes
The Kennesaw State women's basketball team heads out to Auburn on its first road trip of December, looking for its third-straight win in the first-ever meeting between the Tigers and Owls.
Head coach Octavia Blue and her squad are coming off a win against in-state foe Georgia Southern, edging out the program from Statesboro, Ga. 72-71 on Friday night in the Convocation Center.
HOW CAN I ASSIST YOU?
The Owl Nation is accustomed to seeing Amani Johnson as the leading playmaker for the black and gold on a given night; however, with the point guard leading the team in scoring with 16 points, a new face emerged atop the assists column against the Eagles.
Sophomore forward Stacie Jones set a personal best against Georgia Southern, doling out six dimes to her teammates.
Jones' half-a-dozen assists bettered her previous high of three, which she posted twice in February against FGCU and Young Harris.
AMAZING AMANI
Johnson has been nothing short of amazing for the Owls as of late, averaging 16.33 points per game over her last three games.
The Pennsylvanian's season rate of 11.9 points per game is higher than it's been this season, making it easy to see why Coach Blue has trusted her co-captain with so much.
Johnson averages 37.36 minutes played per game, the 12th-highest playing time in the nation. The ball is safe in the senior's hands, as the KSU SGA president 2.69 assist-to-turnover ratio is the 30th-best in the country.
SCOUTING AUBURN
The Owls are coming off one of their best performances from beyond the arch this season, but they may avoid that approach against the Auburn Tigers.
The Auburn, Ala. team boasts the 15th-best 3-point defense in the nation, allowing a 22.8 field-goal percentage from the perimeter. The statistics also show that Auburn is one of the most fouled teams in Division I.
There is no doubt who is the star of the show for the Tigers right now, and that is six-foot Malian guard Aicha Coulibaly. The sophomore ranks 31st in the nation in ball-stealing, averaging 2.8 per game.
Leading her team in points and rebounds per game, Kennesaw State will need to hamper Coulibaly to make a victory easier to reach.
NEXT GAME
The Owls return to the Convocation Center on Friday, New Year's Eve for School's Out Night against Middle Georgia at 1 p.m.
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.
