By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (10-13), (6-6)
vs. Bellarmine (7-18), (3-9)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | KSU Convocation Center
Date: Feb. 11
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball takes on Bellarmine Saturday at 2 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
Saturday's game will mark the fifth annual Pink Day game for the Kennesaw State women's basketball program. One hundred pink basketballs and 1000 pink and white shakers will be available to fans until supplies run out. Wellstar will also be providing in-game cancer screening and prevention messaging and tips throughout the game.
In addition to Pink Day, the Owls are hosting former alumni for Alumni Day. All former alumni are invited to the contest and can receive a special discounted price of just $8 for both the women's and men's games, with $1 from each ticket going to the KSU Owls Fund.
The Owls are coming off a huge 70-63 win over EKU and are now in a three-way tie for fifth place and are firmly in the top half of the ASUN Conference standings.
KSU and Bellarmine have met four times and have split the series 2-2 with all four meetings coming on the road for the Owls. Kennesaw State and the Knights met earlier this season in January with the Owls earning a 64-56 win. The Owls nearly led from start to finish as they took control early and didn't look back. KSU's defense was key in the win, forcing 20 takeaways and outscoring Bellarmine 19-0 in points off turnovers. Four Owls finished in double-digits, led by
Amani Johnson's 13 points.
Stacie Jones and
Lyndsey Whilby each added 12 and
Gabi Legister scored a season-best 10 in the win.
Blue's Squad Surpasses Last Season's Win Totals
KSU surpassed last year's overall wins and conference totals with six games still remaining in the regular season, with four of those coming at home. After the 70-63 win over Eastern Kentucky, the Owls are in a three-way tie for fifth place with EKU and Jacksonville State in the top half of the ASUN Conference standings. Kennesaw State has been particularly strong at home this season, posting a 6-3 mark and needs just two more wins to have the most home wins since the 2015-16 season.
Hardly a Sweat
Prencis Harden has been on a roll over the past four games. The Swainsboro, Ga. native has averaged 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game since Central Arkansas. Harden has played some of the best basketball of her career, setting career-highs in points (16 at Queens), rebounds (10 at Liberty and vs. EKU) and her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against EKU.
40 is the Magic Number
Shooting over 40 percent from the field and holding opponents under 40 percent shooting has been a key number this season for the Owls. Kennesaw State is 9-2 this season when shooting at a 40-percent or higher clip and is 9-4 when holding its opponent below the number.
A Model of Consistency
The graduate senior has been one of the ASUN's most prolific scorers and has averaged 21.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 2.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in her last three games. In addition to scoring a career-best 27 points at Queens, Whitfield went 10-for-11 from the charity stripe, the most free throws made by a KSU player since
Alexis Poole shot 11-of-11 vs. Furman on Dec. 2, 2021. The guard followed up with a 19-point performance at Liberty where she added seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist. Whitfield posted another strong game against EKU, scoring 17 points (11 in the fourth quarter), six rebounds, four assists and three steals. She has scored in double-figures in 15 of her past 17 games. Whitfield leads the Owls in scoring (14.3), rebounding (5.7), defensive rebounds (105), made field goals (120), field goals attempted (282), free throws made (72), steals (36) and free throws attempted (102). The graduate senior ranks 5th in the ASUN in points per game (14.3) and 14th in rebounds (5.7).
Block Party
Standing 5'8,
Carly Hooks has been a catalyst on defense all season disrupting opposing offenses in a variety of ways. The guard leads the team with 15 blocks on the season and is third on the squad with 29 steals. In addition to her stellar defense, the Atlanta native has scored 15 or more points in four of her last eight games, including a career-high 21 points in a 71-52 win at Lipscomb.
Attacking the Paint
Kennesaw State's downhill offensive attack has created plenty of opportunities at the charity stripe as the Owls lead the ASUN and are ranked 56th overall in the NCAA in free throw attempts, averaging 19.78.
Crashing the Glass
KSU's offensive rebounding has been a staple all season. The Owls lead the ASUN and are 61st in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, with 13.6. Kennesaw State has at least 11 offensive rebounds in 17 of 23 games this season.
Amani Johnson Adds Another Milestone
The graduate senior added another major milestone to her outstanding career. Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws late in the game at Austin Peay, which put her past the 1,500-point mark in her KSU career. The guard is already the KSU DI all-time leader in scoring (1,569), assists (601), field goals made (578), field goals attempted (1,558), minutes played (4,903) and steals (243). Johnson leads the ASUN in minutes played (36.67) and is in the top four of the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.93), assists (116) and assists per game (5.0)
Scouting Bellarmine
Bellarmine is still seeking its first true road win. The Knights are 0-11 in such contests. BU did capture a 72-65 neutral-site victory over St. Bonaventure at host Cleveland State in November. Merkle on Monday earned her ASUN-record seventh ASUN Freshman of the Week accolade. The 6-foot-6 center is also a three-time ASUN Player of the Week. Merkle is the national leader in field-goal percentage at 71.9 percent. In addition to topping the ASUN in that category, she is the league leader in rebounding (11.0) while ranking second in blocks (2.3) and third in scoring (15.8). Merkle also tops the conference with 16 double-doubles. Hayley Harrison scored 15 points Thursday at Jacksonville State, the third time in four games the sophomore guard has tallied 15 points or more. Harrison is second on the team in scoring (10.5)
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.
