NASHVILLE - Kennesaw State dropped a decision to a Southeastern Conference foe as the Vanderbilt Commodores (1-0) won the season-opener over KSU (0-1) by a 98-51 score Monday inside Memorial Gymnasium.
Despite trailing at the break, KSU showed no quit. The Owls erased a halftime deficit of 10 in rebounding margin to out-rebound Vandy by a 42-39 count.
Keyarah Berry led KSU with a career-best seven rebounds, while
Prencis Harden and
Kyndall Golden each tallied five rebounds.
"Obviously, not the defensive effort we wanted to display allowing Vanderbilt to score 98 points," said head coach
Octavia Blue. "We got off to a slow start giving up 31 points in the first quarter and only scoring eight.
"We settled in a bit and tried to gain a little momentum on the offensive end in the second quarter scoring 21 points. We kept fouling and putting Vanderbilt on the free throw line which prevented us from getting into a rhythm."
Berry led the KSU scoring with a career-high 15 points on 6-14 field-goal shooting. She had an efficient second quarter with 10 points when she was 4-7 in field goals and sank a pair of three-pointers.
"I thought
Lee Lee Willis did a great job of attacking the defense and creating open looks for KB. KB has always been a great offensive rebounder and does a great job of getting us second-chance opportunities," said Blue. "I was happy to see her display her mid-range game that we've been working on.
"She's in an increased role this year along with many other players."
The Owls and Commodores traded baskets to begin the contest, but Vanderbilt pulled away with 31 first-quarter points. However, KSU settled in offensively in the second frame. The Owls were 9-18 from the field with a 3-4 mark from distance. After nine turnovers in the first quarter, KSU had only three in the second stanza, including five helpers.
In the second half, KSU held Vanderbilt to only an 11-32 showing from the field while the Owls grabbed 30 rebounds.
Overall, the Owls challenged the hosts in the paint. KSU totaled 34 paint points and Vandy had 38.
Vanderbilt jumped on 24 KSU turnovers that led to 28 points for the hosts. VU also capitalized on 31 shots at the free-throw line with 26 points.
"There are tons of things to learn, everything that is on film from this game is fixable. I like our transition game getting up and down the floor," stated Blue. "I'm excited about coming home and getting in front of our fans Friday to open the home schedule."
KSU's home-opener is Friday against Life University at 7:00 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
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