By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (6-8), (2-1)
at Lipscomb (9-6), (3-0)
Location: Nashville, Tenn. | Allen Arena
Date: Jan. 12
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball heads to Nashville, Tenn. to take on Lipscomb Thursday at 7 p.m. at Allen Arena.
KSU enters the matchup winning five of its past seven games and looks to start 3-1 in ASUN Conference action for the first time since 2008-09.
The Owls and Bison have met 31 times on the court, with KSU owning a 21-10 record in the series. Kennesaw State is 11-5 dating back to the 2013-14 season. Lipscomb earned a 61-53 win over Kennesaw State in Nashville last season.
Jah'Che Whitfield posted 11 points, four rebounds and
Gillian Piccolino added eight points and seven boards in the loss.
Jah'Che Whitfield anchors the KSU offense, averaging 13.6 points per game and has scored in double-figures in seven of the last eight games.
Lyndsey Whilby is second on the squad, averaging 10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and leads the Owls with 27 three-pointers on the season.
Amani Johnson is third in scoring, averaging 9.5 points and a team-best 5.4 assists, good for second in the ASUN Conference.
KSU Looks for First 3-1 Start in Conference Play Since 2008-09
After a grueling non-conference slate that featured three games against Power-5 opponents, KSU has won five of its past seven games and is 2-1 in the ASUN for the first time since the 2015-16 season. With a win against Lipscomb, the Owls would improve to 3-1 in conference action for the first time in nearly 15 years.
Whitfield Leading Owls in Multiple Categories
Jah'Che Whitfield finished with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds at EKU in the ASUN Conference opener, posting her first double-double of the season and the ninth of her career. The Sumter, S.C. native has scored at least 14 points in seven of the last eight games and leads the Owls in scoring (13.6), rebounding (5.3), defensive rebounds (57), made field goals (70), field goals attempted (155), made free throws (38), free throws attempted (63), steals (22) and three-point percentage (.448).
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.
KSU Knocks Off Georgia State for Third Time in Program History
Second-year head coach Octavia Blue earned a big 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 Sets Career-High 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.
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 Lipscomb
Lipscomb has started ASUN play 3-0 for the first time during the Sumski era. The Bisons have shot the ball well thus far. Overall, Lipscomb is second in the ASUN in field goals made per game at 27.5, third in points per game at 72.9, and third in field goal percentage at 43.5 percent. There are three 40+ percent shooters from the floor on the team in Sorrentino, Vinson, and Holcomb. Sorrentino shoots and impressive 50.3 percent from the floor, 71st in the country. Two players from Lipscomb's Women's Basketball team earned ASUN recognition for their play last week. Bella Vinson earned Player of the Week honors and Aleah Sorrentino was named Newcomer of the Week the league announced Monday. Bella Vinson was named Player of the Week in the ASUN for the first time in her career as she had a massive week for the Bisons. Vinson averaged 17.7 points per contest to lead the team while bringing down 5.7 rebounds per game. The week was highlighted by her performance at Jacksonville State where she put in a career-high 28 points in the overtime win over the Gamecocks. Aleah Sorrentino won the Newcomer of the Week award for the second time this season, after a solid performance in the first week of conference action. Sorrentino averaged a double-double at 12.7 points per game and 11 rebounds. Sorrentino continues to dominate this season as she ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 14.8 points per game and third in rebounding at 8.7 a game.
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.
