Box Score | Coach Head Interview w/ Highlights

Score: Kennesaw State 76, Young Harris 66
Records: Kennesaw State (6-7, 1-7), Young Harris (2-3, 2-3)
Key Players: Amani Johnson (22 pts, 6 assts), Stacie Jones (career-high 19 pts, 9 rebs 8-9 FG), Bre'Lyn Snipes (career-high 9 pts, career-high 9 rebs), Jah'Che Whitfield (11 pts, 9 rebs) Gabi Legister (8 pts, 5 blks, 4 rebs)

THE STORYLINE
Amani Johnson cemented her name in the Kennesaw State history books, dishing out her 330th career assist to become the best playmaker ever in the program. Freshmen Stacie Jones and Bre'Lyn Snipes also established new career highs in the Owls' 76-66 win against fellow Georgia team Young Harris College.

COACH KHADIJA HEAD QUOTES
On Amani Johnson's career night…
"Halfway through her junior year, she was able to accomplish that milestone and to lead this program as an all-time assist leader, that's something that truly makes you a great teammate. Because on the other end of every single assist is a teammate. Getting an assist is not something you can do isolated in a silo. It requires a tremendous roster and Amani has had fantastic teammates from her freshman, sophomore and also this year as a junior."

On the team's rebounding…
"I think when you look at a program and a season, you have to find something to hang your hat on and rebounding that requires not remembering, you know, 'is this the proper play? Is this the proper angle on the screen? Is this the right passing angle?' Rebounding is 'mano-a-mano.' It's you versus your opponent and the winner gets the ball and that's something that our team takes great pride in, both offensively and defensively. So I'm very impressed to see us back on the rebounding track. I'm slightly disappointed we got a bunch of nines and not one 10. 

On next weekend's matchup against FGCU...
"You know, we love going against Florida Gulf Coast. They are one of the premier programs in our conference and they set the bar. So any chance you get to play against a program like Florida Gulf Coast, you get excited. It's an opportunity to expand your game both offensively and defensively and then, they have a tremendous crowd so it's an opportunity to play in front of, not a packed house, but it'll be packed for them. So, we're excited to get on the road. We haven't had many road games this year, I think this will be our third trip away from the Nest so we're excited to go down, take Julia Rodriguez back to Florida and soak up some of that Florida sunshine.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
The Mountain Lions were proving to be a tough team early on, getting out in front five points to start the game. The Owls went on a consequential 7-0 run, capped by a second-chance jumper in the paint by Snipes; the guard made a driving layup four minutes late to put the home team up 15-10. 

The first quarter was a relatively low-scoring affair, with much of the action coming in turnovers of possession between the two teams. 

The first quarter ended with Young Harris hitting a three in the last 20 seconds, making the score 16-13 in favor of the Owls. 

The second quarter's activity began with Stacie Jones snatching a loose pass from the Mountain Lions. Jones passed off to Johnson, who found a driving Snipes for a fast-break layup to pull Kennesaw State into an 18-13 lead. 

With 7:08 left in the half, Johnson pulled up from the 3-point line to shoot KSU into a nine-point lead. 

Jones made a play in the paint to put home a layup and capture a 29-18 lead, the Owls' best lead in the half; however, the Mountain Lions weren't going down without a fight and forced five Kennesaw State turnovers in the final five minutes of the second quarter. 

Snipes swatted away a layup and caught her fifth rebound of the quarter, and the halftime whistle blew shortly after. The two teams went back into the locker room with Young Harris down 33-27.

The third quarter was the Owls' best quarter of the game, but it was still a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. Neither squad was able to string two baskets together until Johnson and Jones swished two shots a minute apart. 

Gabi Legister posted up and scored 6:56 into the third quarter, sparking a 6-0 run to seize a 47-36 lead for KSU. 

Johnson's magic moment came with 57 seconds left in the third quarter, with the Owls' No. 0 finding Jones on a fast break for her 330th career assist. The co-captain's sixth dish of the night moved her above Kristina Wells in the record books, making her the best playmaker in Kennesaw State women's basketball history. 

The third quarter ended 54-42, but Johnson wasn't finished with her new landmark. The Pennsylvanian started off the quarter with a three-from-four field goal run, closing it out with a trey ball for her 21st point of the night. 

The impressive form of the point guard didn't stop the Mountain Lions from attempting a comeback, cutting their adversary's lead to 71-66 with 1:28 to go. Young Harris began to run into a time crunch and began to foul to save precious seconds. 

KSU inbounded and possessed the ball intelligently for the rest of the contest, with Jones and Snipes scoring a combined three points in the final 11 seconds to solidify new all-time highs in their budding careers.

The final whistle blew with the Owls winning 76-66. Playing the game while adorned in their pink jerseys, Interim Head Coach Khadija Head dedicated the game to Coach Agnus Berenato. The team will don the same uniforms on Feb. 20, when KSU takes on Stetson on Pink Day. 

NOTES
- Kennesaw State outrebounded Young Harris 44-23

- Owls had 44 points in the paint compared to YHC's 20 

- Three different players had double-digit scoring performances

- Owls shot 57.4% (31-54) from the field, compared to the Mountain Lions' 32.3% (21-65)

- KSU spent 35:52 with the lead

- Stacie Jones went eight-for-nine from the field

UP NEXT
The Owls travel to Fort Myers, Fla. for games against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 13 and 14 at 2 p.m. EST. The team gets a bye-week this weekend, with the Lipscomb series delayed until further notice. 

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.