STARKVILLE, Miss. - Freshman
Trynce Taylor only needed three quarters to record her first collegiate double-double Monday but it was not enough to push Kennesaw State (3-5) past SEC opponent RV Mississippi State (9-2) inside Humphrey Coliseum, 91-50.
Taylor, an Alpharetta, Ga. native, posted 19 points and 12 rebounds, setting career-highs in both categories.
"Trynce has a huge upside with superstar potential," head coach
Octavia Blue said of the freshman. "She was able to put that on display tonight against a really good Mississippi State team."
Senior
Carly Hooks followed the freshman with 10 points of her own, second on the team Monday night.
The Black and Gold's 50 points against Mississippi State surpassed future Conference USA opponent Jacksonville State's 45 on Nov. 12 and Southeastern Louisiana's 46 on Nov. 10. Both teams faced the Bulldogs in Starkville.
One main bright spot for KSU againt the Bulldogs was at the free-throw line, shooting 80% to MSU's 60.9%.
"I thought there was a lot to learn about ourselves in every moment of the game," Blue explained.
Monday night's showdown marked the 10th consecutive game for Kennesaw State against a team with a .500 or better win/loss percentage, dating back to the 2022-23 season.
Making her first collegiate start Monday, freshman
Kailyn Fields scored the first points for the Black and Gold on the first Owl possession.
Fields and Taylor led KSU with four points in the opening frame.
Keyarah Berry tallied three boards in the first 10 minutes.
Taylor continued her hot start against the Bulldogs with seven rebounds and four more points in the second quarter alone. Berry and Hooks each posted three points apiece.
"As Trynce continues to grow and learn to play at high level more consistently, we will see these types of performances from her more often," Blue added.
Berry notched five points and five boards in the first 20 minutes of action.
13 of the Owls' 23 first-half points came from the bench.
In the first half,
Kyndall Golden added two more blocks to her Atlantic Sun Conference-leading season total. She finished with four in the game, bringing her 2023-24 number to 20.
Taylor surpassed her KSU previous career-high for points (11) in the third quarter and collected her first collegiate double-double on a rebound with 6:53 remaining in the period.
Hooks had a strong third as well, notching seven points in the quarter and secured her 16th double-digit-scoring game at Kennesaw State.
"We had a few spurts here and there where I feel like we played them tough and competed, particularly in the third quarter," Blue said. "They only out scored us by four points (21-17). We had multiple defensive breakdowns and trouble keeping them off the offensive glass which allowed them to really open up the game. Rebounding is one of our strengths and we had to have done a better job in that area if we wanted to knock off a team of that caliber on their home court."
The Owls posted 17 points in the third frame but Mississippi State pulled away in the fourth to take the 91-50 victory.
In its first meeting with Kennesaw State, the Bulldogs improved to 16-0 all-time against current ASUN teams.
Monday ended a six-game streak for KSU of holding its opponents to a then-season-low in points scored.
KSU returns home to the KSU Convocation Center on Sunday, Dec. 17 against Belmont for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off on ESPN+.
"We are excited for the challenge to take on a very good Belmont on our home court," Blue exclaimed. "We love playing in front of our home crowd."
Fans can purchase tickets
here.
