Score: Kennesaw State 60, Ole Miss 72
Records: Kennesaw State (0-1), Ole Miss (1-0)
Key Players: Jah'Che Whitfield (18 pts, 6-11 FGs, 5 rebs); Amani Johnson (15 pts, 4 asts, 4 rebs)
THE STORYLINE
Kennesaw State women's basketball led Ole Miss 18-14 after one quarter but dropped a hard-fought 72-60 game Monday night at SJB Pavilion. Jah'Che Whitfield finished with a game-high 18 points, and Amani Johnson chipped in 15 to power the KSU offense.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On the fast start and building a lead…
"I really liked how we started the game. We played with a lot of energy, and I felt like we really battled with them to try to take away some of the stuff that they were wanting to do. Overall, I felt like we competed and stepped up and were ready to play tonight."
On Amani Johnson and Jah'Che Whitfield…
"It's huge. Amani and Jah'Che both played for me last season, so they are both familiar with the kinds of things that I'm looking for in our system. They are playing like fifth-year seniors, and they have a maturity about themselves. They understand the whys. They understand when to be aggressive and when to set things up. So, having those two on the court definitely helps settle my mind."
On some of the issues that allowed Ole Miss to build a lead in the second half…
"We were fouling a ton and not playing solid defense. We would play defense deep into the shot clock and would foul them at the end, along with giving up too many offensive rebounds. I thought playing a team as athletic as Ole Miss is, we really needed to put a body on those kids every time a shot went up. We were just losing the battle on the boards."
On the importance of closing out the game strong against a tough opponent…
"That's what I asked of my team. We knew it was going to be a tough feat to go to Ole Miss and win against an SEC opponent. However, my kids battled until the end, and we played hard until the clock hit zero. And that's really what I wanted to see out of my players."
HOW IT HAPPENED
KSU jumped out to an early 13-10 lead behind seven points from Whitfield and a stout defense over the first eight minutes, limiting the Rebels to 2-of-9 shooting from the floor.
Bre'lyn Snipes knocked down a jumper with 38 seconds left and Whitfield followed suit with a three-pointer on the next possession to extend the lead to six, 18-12.
After Ole Miss made back-to-back jumpers to start the second quarter to cut the deficit to four, Snipes converted an and-one to give the Owls their biggest lead of the half, 25-18, with 7:16 remaining.
The Rebels' defense tightened over the final seven minutes of the half, holding KSU to just six points as Ole Miss regained the lead to take a 34-31 lead into the break.
Ole Miss began the second half on a 7-0 run to stretch the lead to ten, 41-31.
Johnson answered with three straight buckets, including a step-back three at the top of the key to bring the Owls within five, 43-38, at the 5:27 mark.
Angel Baker and Madison Scott added a pair of layups to try to create separation, but KSU refused to go away. Whitfield added four quick points and Carly Hooks knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the lead to seven with two minutes left in the third quarter.
The Rebels used an 18-2 stretch over the final two minutes of the third and the first four minutes of the fourth to extend the lead to 65-46.
KSU closed the fourth quarter strong, as the Owls outscored the Rebels 14-7, highlighted by a pair of treys from Snipes and Lyndsey Whilby and six points from Stacie Jones.
Tickets for Thursday's home opener against Middle Georgia State can be purchased here!
UP NEXT
The Owls return to the Convocation Center Thursday at 7 p.m. for their home opener against Middle Georgia State.
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.
