Box Score
Score: Kennesaw State 38, FGCU 88
Records: Kennesaw State (6-9, 1-9), FGCU (17-2, 10-0)
Key Players: Amani Johnson (14 pts, 2 assts, 2 rebs), Julia Rodriguez (7 pts, 7 rebs)
Jah'Che Whitfield (6 pts, 6 rebs), Gabi Legister (5 pts, 6 rebs)
THE STORYLINE
While KSU showed much improvement on the defensive side of the ball, FGCU made a case to show up in Week 13's top 25 teams of the nation by winning 88-38 against the visiting Owls.
COACH KHADIJA HEAD QUOTES
On Amani Johnson…
"Not the outcome we wanted, but our kids played tough this weekend. Amani Johnson was a spark for us coming out of halftime. A player of Amani's caliber will get our opponent's best guard-defender afternoon-in and afternoon-out. We made some offensive adjustments that allowed her to lead us in scoring with 14 points. She's a kid we depend on to compete for 80 minutes over a 48-hour time span.
On the season ahead…
"As a staff, we challenged our players mentally. We utilized several different different defensive strategies throughout the competition. I was happy with how they responded with no prep time, only immediate implementation. We will continue to improve and grow as we get more minutes together as a team."
On Pink Day and Senior Day…
"I'm excited to get back to the nest this weekend as we honor the breast cancer community and celebrate our seniors Breanna Hoover and manager Nas Chaney."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles came out on their home court and started in a dominant fashion as they are wont to do. The Owls hit their first field goal of the matchup 4:25 into the first quarter, as Jah'Che Whitfield hit a pull-up jumper to cut the Eagles' lead to 10-3.
The Eagles sequentially hit a 3-point shot and 25 seconds after Whitfield's jumper, Amani Johnson got fouled on a made layup to shoot a successful and-one free throw.
The Owls got the last word in to end the first 10-minute period, with Johnson and Gabi Legister shooting consecutive baskets to go into the second quarter down 22-13.
The start of the second was frantic and back-and-forth, with both teams producing six points each through the first three minutes; however, the Owls would only hit one more field goal after that with both teams going into the locker room with FGCU leading 42-22.
KSU hit its hottest point at the beginning of the third quarter, scoring in three straight possessions for a 6-2 scoring run over their adversaries. The effort would put the Owls within 16, but the FGCU 44-28 lead was still daunting.
Unfortunately, the Owls were unable to string together two consecutive baskets for the rest of the contest and the Eagles completed their sweep of KSU with a 88-38 victory.
NOTES
- Amani Johnson had her eighth straight double-digit game.
- Julia Rodriguez ends the weekend with 25 total points.
- KSU shot five-for-11 (45.5%) in the first quarter.
- The Eagles outfouled the Owls 15-13.
UP NEXT
It's the most exciting time of the year to be an Owls' fan with the annual Pink Day game coming next weekend against Stetson. Pink Day will be celebrated in both of the weekend games, with tipoff coming on Saturday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. EST.
The goal of this year's Pink Day is to fund the Memorial Hope Garden, a place where one can remember those they've lost to cancer. The garden, planned to be filled with pink, perennial flowers and trees, will be located next to KSU's Math and Statistics Building.
This year's goal for donation is $20,000 to fund the Memorial Hope Garden and early donations can be made here.
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.
