WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Kennesaw State (4-7) deleted a 19-point deficit and delivered a 53-51 upset of the Big East Conferences' Providence Friars (6-7) Thursday at the West Palm Beach Classic inside the Greene Complex.
Providence led 50-39 with 7:52 remaining in regulation before the Black and Gold erupted for a 22-1 run, led by
Prencis Harden and
Laura Toffali - and exclamated by senior
Carly Hooks.
"We are a resilient group," head coach
Octavia Blue said postgame. "We talk about it all the time. We have to keep our head down and do the work. Credit to our players for buying in and believing."
With 4:21 left, Toffali drained three shots from beyond the arc within a one-minute, 43-second span and Harden made five free throws, cutting the PC lead to two, 50-48.
Following a Friar free throw, Hooks launched a clutch three of her own with 0:13 left to even the score at 51.
"We had two options out of that play and
Kyndall Golden found the open player," Blue added. "Carly is a big-time player who stepped up big for us in the money time."
Golden then blocked a potential game-winning shot for Providence shot and acquired the rebound, allowing Hooks to push down the court before being fouled with less than a second left.
Filling in for Hooks, Harden added two more free throws to put the Owls in front for good, 53-51.
The Owl defense held the Friars scoreless for 7:34 during this stretch and 8:42 without a made field goal. KSU forced nine turnovers during the run.
"Again, it's about trust … it's about believing in our defense and each other," Blue mentioned about the defensive play Thursday. "We play a high risk, high reward style of defense. Today, I am pleased that we were rewarded by it."
Harden once again posted a stellar performance on the court for KSU with 23 points and eight rebounds, following a double-double outing on Wednesday. It was her fourth-straight double-digit scoring game and her sixth in the last seven.
"Prencis was just phenomenal," Blue said. "She made play after play, after play. Her teammates believe in her and so does this staff. She has arrived."
Toffali set a new career-high for points with nine, surpassing the mark of eight she set Wednesday vs. San Diego State.
It was Kennesaw State women's basketball's second-ever victory over a Power Six program and first since Dec. 22, 2014 in a 61-60 win over Xavier at the KSU Convocation Center.
Providence entered Thursday with a NET ranking of 131.
Harden scoring the first points for KSU after an opening three from PC.
Freshman
Kailyn Fields made her first collegiate three-pointer to put the Black and Gold up for the first time, 5-3.
After scoring the first points of the game for either side, the Friars only made one of their next nine shots thanks to the stingy KSU defense.
Harden entered double-digits in points with a layup at the 8:45 mark in the second quarter.
Following Fields' three, the Owls held the lead for 14:15 in the first half before the Friars retook the lead and went into the halfway mark up 27-24.
The Friars led by 15 entering the fourth.
Providence extended its lead to 50-39 at the 7:52 mark and would not score another field goal for the remainder of the game.
After the aforementioned Harden free throws to give KSU the lead, the Friars' last-ditch-effort pass was intercepted by
Morgan Dillard to complete the comeback upset victory.
It was the fourth victory for the Owls when trailing entering the fourth quarter under Blue and first this season.
The Friars were the 13th-straight opponent KSU has faced with a .500 or better record dating back to 2022-23.
Kennesaw State returns to the court on Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m. inside the KSU Convocation Center for a matchup against the Georgetown Hoyas.
"Absolutely, there's no turning back," Blue said when asked if the game would provide momentum going into the matchup. "Our ladies now understand what we are capable of. Our expectation is to duplicate this type of effort every time we lace them up and take the floor."
Fans can purchase $1 tickets
here for 'Cram the Convo' night.
