Score: Kennesaw State 75, Furman 69
Records: Kennesaw State (3-6), Furman (6-6)
Key Players: Amani Johnson (17 pts, 3-of-6 3FGs, 6 asts, 2 steals); Jah'Che Whitfield (15 pts, 7-for-12 FGs, 3 rebs, 2 stls, 2 asts); Carly Hooks (14 pts, 6-of-9 FGs, 5 rebs, 3 stls, 2 asts 1 blk)
THE STORYLINE
Kennesaw State knocked off Furman 75-69 on the road for its second straight win Thursday night at Timmons Arena. Amani Johnson, Jah'Che Whitfield and Carly Hooks combined for 46 points as the Owls earned their first road victory of the season. Johnson finished with a team-high 17 points, Whitfield chipped in 15 and Hooks finished with 14. Hooks was particularly effective in the second half, scoring 12 of her 14 points over the final 20 minutes of action. KSU dominated the paint and in transition, outscoring Furman 38-22 and 13-2 on fast break points.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On tonight's performance…
"I am really excited to get a road win! It was our first of the season. It is never easy to come into someone else's home, lead for most of the game and come away with a win. "
On getting out to a fast start, scoring 26 points in the first on the road…
"Again, you've always got to throw the first punch so to speak when you're on the road. We knew we wanted to use our speed and athleticism to push the tempo to our pace."
On Amani's fast quick start…
"It is huge! Amani accounts for so many points in our offense with her ability to make plays for others. Tonight, she got back to her old ways of both scoring and distributing. When she is scoring the ball, it allows us to have multiple scoring threats all over the floor.
On Carly's big second half…
"After a quiet first half, Carly really turned it on. Her speed allows her to ignite our transition game. She really got downhill and to the rim. When she is in the open court, she is hard to stop."
On the rebounding battle…
"Furman is an outstanding rebounding team which posed a huge challenge for us. We gave up 20 offensive rebounds an enormous amount. However, I am proud of how we battled down the stretch and came up with rebounds in the money time."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 7-4 early in the first, Johnson knocked down a three from the top of the key to tie it at 7-7 three minutes into the contest.
Furman responded with a 7-0 run to push its lead to 14-7. Johnson connected on her second triple of the quarter and hit a midrange jumper to spark a 7-0 run for the Owls to tie the game at 14-14, with 4:24 left in the first.
Lee'Aira Willis came off the bench and provided four points down the stretch and Lyndsey Whilby hit a three-pointer as the quarter ended as KSU took a 26-22 lead into the second quarter. The Owls shot a blistering 66.7 percent from the field (10-of-15 shooting) in the opening frame.
Kennesaw State's defense clamped down in the second, holding Furman to 1-of-12 shooting over five minutes in the middle of the second quarter. Gabi Legister and Whitfield scored on back-to-back turnovers forced by the KSU defense. Whitfield scored four more points as the Owls grabbed a 37-30 lead before the Paladins stopped the run with a three-pointer.
Leading 40-37, the Owls went on a 4-0 run to extend the lead back to seven, 44-37. Furman responded by scoring nine straight points to take a 46-44 lead, with 4:27 to go in the quarter.
Whilby answered the Paladins' run with a triple and Carly Hooks scored on a tough layup as KSU regained the lead, 49-46.
After Furman tied the game again at 53-53, the Owls closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run over the final 1:09 to take a 59-53 lead into the fourth.
KSU opened the fourth on a 9-2 run over the first four minutes to stretch the lead to double-digits, 68-55 behind four points from Whitfield and
another Johnson triple.
Whilby iced the game with her second three-pointer of the game with 1:44 left to give the Owls a 71-60 lead as the Owls held on for the 75-69 win over the Paladins
UP NEXT
The Owls return to the KSU Convocation Center Monday at 4 p.m. with a matchup against Mercer.
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.
