By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (4-7), (0-0)
at Eastern Kentucky (7-6), (0-0)
Location: Richmond, Ky. | Baptist Health Arena
Date: Jan. 2
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Live Stats |
Video
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball heads to Richmond, Ky. to take on Eastern Kentucky to open ASUN Conference play Monday at 7 p.m. at Baptist Health Arena.
The Owls are coming off a program-record 109 points in a 56-point win over Coastal Georgia.
Amani Johnson cemented herself even further in the Kennesaw State record books as she surpassed
Alexis Poole as the all-time KSU Division I scoring leader. The Owls enter Thursday's matchup with three wins in its last four games.
EKU leads the all-time series 2-0 with the Colonels winning both contests last year. Eastern Kentucky ended the Owls' season with a 71-57 win in the ASUN Conference Tournament.
Amani Johnson led KSU with 13 points, five assists and three rebounds in a game that featured 12 lead changes before EKU pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Jah'Che Whitfield anchors the KSU offense, averaging 13.3 points per game and has scored in double-figures in five straight games.
Amani Johnson is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points and a team-best 5.4 assists.
Lyndsey Whilby averages 9.2 points per game and leads the Owls with 18 three-pointers on the season.
KSU and Amani Johnson Break Records in Rout Over Coastal Georgia
Kennesaw State scored a program-record 109 points and
Amani Johnson added another record to an already illustrious career as the graduate senior scored 15 points to break the KSU Division I career scoring record as the Owls raced past Coastal Georgia 109-53. Johnson finished with her first double-double of the season, scoring 15 and dishing out a career-high 13 assists. Johnson surpassed
Alexis Poole on the all-time scoring list, who set the record last season for KSU. The Owls set season highs in points (109), field goals made (38), field goal attempts (81), free throws made (25), assists (23), steals (15) and blocked shots (6) in a dominant performance against the Mariners. Six Owls scored in double-figures in the 56-point win over the Mariners.
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. The graduate guard led the team in scoring against Mercer as well, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds.
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 Eastern Kentucky
The Colonels begin conference play on a three-game winning streak over Army West Point, Union College, and Alice Lloyd College. In EKU's last two games against in-state programs, the Colonels recorded consecutive 100-point victories for the first time in program history. EKU eagerly awaits Antwainette Walker's debut in ASUN play, the redshirt senior is averaging 21.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game, all leading the conference. The Lisle, Ill. product currently sits sixth in the country in double-doubles this season at eight. Marisssa Mackins enters conference play with five games under her belt, sitting out last season after transferring from conference foe North Florida. The Durham, N.C. native sits at 17.2 points per game, including five games in double-figure scoring. With eight made threes against Union, Mackins was one shy of the EKU program record. Graduate Danielle Rainey recorded EKU's first triple-double in program history with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 110-49 win over Alice Lloyd College. Eastern Kentucky's only member on the ASUN Pre-Season All-Conference team, Alice Recanati, has led the Colonels in assists in 11-of-13 (.846) games this season. The redshirt sophomore sits at 9.5 points and 4.8 assists a night, with 63 assists on the season, Recanati is third in the ASUN and 36th nationally.
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.
