Score: Kennesaw State 77, Bellarmine 73
Records: Kennesaw State (11-13, 7-6), Bellarmine (7-19, 3-10)
Key Players: Amani Johnson (27 pts, 4 asts, 3 rebs); Stacie Jones (12 pts, 3 rebs); Jah'Che Whitfield (11 pts, 7 rebs, 3 stls, 2 asts)
THE STORYLINE
Amani Johnson finished with a season-best 27 points and took the game over in the second half scoring 20, with 11 of those coming in the fourth quarter as Kennesaw State defeated Bellarmine 77-73 Saturday afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center. The Owls found a lot of success in transition, outscoring the Knights 23-9 and shooting 80 percent (24-for-30) from the charity stripe. KSU swept the regular season against Bellarmine and has won three straight games against the Knights. In addition to Johnson's stellar play, Stacie Jones added 12 points and Jah'Che Whitfield registered 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists to pace the Owls.
With the win, the Owls are tied for fifth in conference play and improved to 7-6 in ASUN Conference action, the most conference wins since the 2016-17 team finished 8-6. Kennesaw State has turned the KSU Convocation Center into a difficult place to play for opponents, posting a 7-3 mark this season, just one win shy of matching the 2016-17 win total.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On getting two straight wins at home…
"It's huge and we talked about it coming into our game on Thursday that we had five of our last seven games here at home. We had to protect The Nest and needed to take advantage of sleeping in our own beds and practicing on our own floor. So, we came out and showed that tonight."
On Amani Johnson's performance…
"It was amazing, and it was the Amani Johnson that we know and love. She came through in a big way, I think we struggled to score against the zone, and she really turned it on for us."
On Thursday's matchup at Jacksonville…
"We probably just gave them the game plan. We definitely have to work on our shooting a little bit and taking care of the ball. We turned it over 18 times today. We just need to keep executing and have just a little bit more patience."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bellarmine started the contest with a three-pointer, but Jones and the Owls responded right back with a three-point play on the other end.
The Knights scored 11 of the next 15 points to open a 14-7 lead at the 6:34 mark in the first frame.
Keyarah Berry capped off a 5-2 run for the Owls with an offensive putback through contact and finished the three-point play at the charity stripe to make it 16-13 a minute later.
After Gracie Merkle put the Knights up 20-13, Kennesaw State answered with an 8-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back triples from Johnson and Carly Hooks to take the lead.
KSU closed out the final 1:17 by scoring the final four points to tie the game at 25-25
Both teams traded triples to begin the second quarter just like the first frame before Bre'Lyn Snipes took over for the Owls over the next three minutes by scoring seven of KSU's eight points to put the Owls on top, 36-30, with 5:26 left in the half.
All nine Owls scored in the first half with Whitfield leading the way with 10 points and KSU shot 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the last five minutes to take a 46-40 lead into the break.
Kennesaw State and the Knights traded buckets over the first six minutes of the third quarter with Johnson scoring seven points during the stretch for the Owls.
KSU pushed the lead to 57-48 after Johnson connected on a layup. Bellarmine answered with an 11-0 run to retake the lead 59-57 with 34 seconds left in the third.
Holding for the last shot, Johnson came up clutch, driving into the paint and banking in a floater as time expired to tie the game at 59-59 after three.
Johnson continued her torrid scoring streak into the fourth quarter by scoring five quick points in the first two minutes to extend the KSU lead to five, 64-59.
Bellarmine responded with an 11-3 run to retake the lead 70-67 with just over three minutes to go.
KSU answered with four straight points and Johnson's mid-range jumper put the Owls back in front, 71-70, with 2:23 left on the clock.
Merkle tied the game at 71-71 after going 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Johnson had another answer on the offensive end, driving to the hoop and hitting a tough layup to grab back the lead by two.
Johnson hit two clutch free throws to extend the lead to four, 75-71, and the defense got a huge stop with less than 30 seconds remaining.
The Owls added a pair of three throws in the last 30 seconds and secured the 77-73 win over Bellarmine.
UP NEXT
KSU heads to Florida for a two-game road swing starting Thursday against Jacksonville at 7 p.m.
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.
