By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (3-6), (0-0)
vs. Mercer (3-6), (0-0)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | KSU Convocation Center
Date: Dec. 19
Time: 4:00 p.m. EST
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball returns home to take on Mercer Monday at 4 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls are coming off back-to-back wins against Georgia State and a 75-69 victory on the road at Furman. KSU enters Monday's matchup with a perfect 2-0 record at home this season.
KSU and Mercer have met 24 times, with Mercer holding a 14-10 advantage in the series. The Owls have had success at home, posting a 6-5 record against the Bears. The two teams squared off against each other last season, with Mercer coming away with a 66-49 win in Macon.
Jah'Che Whitfield and
Stacie Jones both chipped in strong performances, with Whitfield posting 15 points and four rebounds. Jones finished with 11 points and seven boards.
Owls Take Down Furman For First Road Win
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.
KSU Knocks Off Georgia State for Third Time in Program History
Second-year head coach Octavia Blue and the Owls improved to 2-0 at home this season after getting a huge 69-63 win over Georgia State for its third win against the Panthers in program history. In the season opener, the Owls hit the century mark for the second time in KSU DI history on Nov. 7, in a 100-57 win over Middle Georgia State. The Owls knocked down 11 three-pointers, tied for the fourth-highest total in school history and grabbed 61 rebounds in the win, the second-highest in KSU history.
Hooks and Whitfield Set Career-Highs at FIU
Carly Hooks finished with 15 points, five rebounds, a team-best three steals and two blocks at FIU, including a career-high 5 three-pointers. The Atlanta, Ga. native was the first Owl to knock down at least five triples in a game since
Amani Johnson (7-for-7) and
Gillian Piccolino (6-for-9) on Jan. 24, 2021 against North Florida.
Jah'Che Whitfield scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting at FIU Sunday. Her 22 points were the most a KSU player has scored through eight games this season. Whitfield followed that up with a strong performance against Georgia State, posting 18 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block in the win.
Johnson Aiming for KSU Scoring Record
Entering the 2022-23 season,
Amani Johnson is poised to break the Kennesaw State record for most points scored in program history. Johnson currently sits with 1,405 points and only needs 25 more points to pass
Alexis Poole for the record. She already holds the KSU Division I record for assists (530), steals (220), and minutes played (4,369). Johnson ranks in the top five of the ASUN in assists per game (5.0), total assists (45), assist/turnover ratio (1.70) and minutes per game (34.8).
Scoring Weapons Return to Kennesaw State
The Owls return 73.8% of their scoring from a year ago. Graduate guards
Amani Johnson and
Jah'Che Whitfield combined for 602 total points in KSU's offense last season, with Johnson scoring over 300 points and Whitfield chipping in 235.
Power Five Influx
Kennesaw State made some new additions to the team this offseason, signing two guards and two forwards who transferred from Power 5 schools. Former Purdue guard and Georgia native
Lyndsey Whilby returns home to play her graduate season at Kennesaw State.
Keyarah Berry, a sophomore guard from Indiana, looks to spark the KSU offense to new heights as she scored 3,340 points in her high school basketball career, which ranks second all-time in the state of Georgia. Junior forward
Kyndall Golden previously played nine games at Vanderbilt, averaging 15.7 minutes per game in her sophomore season. Sophomore forward
Taylor Cullinan also returns to her native Georgia after playing six games at Alabama and an impressive career at North Paulding High School.
Owls Welcome New Assistant Coaches
The Owls added two new assistant coaches this past offseason. Malikah Willis joins the Owls with over 20 years of coaching experience from 10 different colleges, including West Virginia and Georgia Tech. Composed as a high-profile recruiter and veteran coach, Willis helped assemble seven top-25 recruiting classes and coached 16 student-athletes to all-conference honors, including five future WNBA draft picks. Drew Landers brings seven years of Division I coaching experience to KSU as a former assistant coach at USC Upstate for the previous two seasons. Landers improved the Spartans' win total by 14 games, finishing with a record of 22-8, as well as helping player recruitment and development on a national level.
Scouting Mercer
Mercer leads the SoCon in blocks per game (3.2), free throw percentage (79.0) and three-point percentage (40.2), which ranks seventh nationally. Amoria Neal-Tysor leads Mercer in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game and steals (13). Erin Houpt is second in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game and leads the team in three-pointers with 23. Houpt is shooting 48.9 percent from beyond the arc, which is tops in the SoCon and 23rd nationally. Houpt is also proficient at the free throw line, going a perfect 28-for-28 from the charity stripe, which is tops in the country. Summah Evans, a transfer from North Florida, averages 8.6 points and a team-best 5.2 rebounds.
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.
