Score: Kennesaw State 76, North Florida 84
Records: Kennesaw State (12-14, 8-7), North Florida (7-18, 4-11)
Key Players: Carly Hooks (20 pts, 9-17 FGs, 5 rebs, 3 asts, 3 stls, 1 blk); Lyndsey Whilby (14 pts, 6-12 FGs, 2 rebs, 1 blk); Stacie Jones (12 pts, 5-5 FGs, 5 rebs, 1 stl)
THE STORYLINE
Kennesaw State almost erased a 21-point second-half deficit in the second half and made it a one-point game midway through the fourth quarter but fell just short 84-76 at North Florida Saturday afternoon. The Owls' defense came to life in the final 20 minutes and went on a 13-4 run to start the fourth quarter to pull within one, 73-72, to have a chance late. KSU had several great looks over the final five minutes but ran out of time in search of a big comeback win. Carly Hooks was outstanding on Saturday, posting 20 points, one shy of tying her career-high and finished with five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. Lyndsey Whilby came off the bench and provided instant scoring, registering 14 points and Stacie Jones added 12 points and five boards for the Owls.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On today's performance…
"I was really happy with our second-half performance, but we dug ourselves a hole in the first half. We gave up 56 points in the first half and it was just a poor defensive effort early on."
On limiting UNF to 2-for-10 from three in the second half after a fast start…
"It was a point of emphasis coming into the game stopping the three, but I think we really locked in and focused on it in the second half and actually carried out our game plan. But again, the defensive effort in the first half dug us a hole and made it difficult for us to come back from."
On getting more offensive rebounds in the second half for second-chance points…
"We were struggling to score a little bit and I think we needed to get some extra possessions. So, a point of emphasis was to crash the glass, which we were able to do in the second half and that helped us get a little bit closer."
On Carly Hooks…
"It was huge. I think they had trouble keeping her in front. She is really fast with the ball and getting to the basket to generate some easy shots for herself as well as getting it to open teammates. By having her score for us gave us a shot to win it in the end."
On the positive takeaways from the second half as the team gets ready for No. 25 FGCU Thursday…
"We are a resilient team and I think we have to take away the lessons that we can't afford to have slow starts. When you want to do something special, you have to come in and execute the game plan from the start of the game to the end of the buzzer. So, that's the biggest takeaway from today."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ospreys shot 6-for-10 to open the game to build an early 17-10 lead. Four different Owls scored a bucket in the first four minutes of action.
Whilby came off the bench and had the hot hand for Kennesaw State in the first quarter, scoring eight straight points for the Owls to cut the UNF lead to 22-20 with a little over two minutes left in the opening quarter.
North Florida closed out the final two minutes on a 7-0 run to take a 29-20 lead into the second quarter.
The Ospreys started the second quarter by knocking down a pair of triples to extend their lead to 14, 39-25.
Kennesaw State responded with five straight points to cut the deficit to nine, 39-30 with just under five minutes left in the half.
Jaelyn Swann and UNF continued to make shots beyond the arc and pushed its lead to 56-38 at the break.
Hooks and Whilby led the Owls' offense in the first half, scoring 10 points each.
Amani Johnson jumpstarted an 11-3 run for KSU with a three-pointer and Hooks scored six straight points to make it a 13-point game, 64-51 with 3:59 to go in the third quarter.
Johnson hit a mid-range jumper as time winded down at the end of the third quarter to make it a 71-59 game headed to the fourth.
Kennesaw State refused to back down and opened the fourth quarter on a huge 10-0 run to pull within two, 71-69 with 6:18 on the clock. Five different Owls scored on the run as KSU's press defense gave North Florida fits early in the quarter resulting in several baskets off turnovers.
Jones knocked down a free throw as the Owls continued to draw closer, 73-72 with just over five minutes left. Jah'Che Whitfield had an open look for a corner three off an offensive rebound to give KSU the lead but just missed.
UNF answered with a 5-0 run and pushed its lead back to 78-72 before Hooks scored on another layup to make it a two-possession game. With 1:11 on the clock, Prencis Harden stepped up to the line and made both free throws to make it a four-point game, 80-76.
KSU forced two straight turnovers on the next two possessions, but North Florida got a pair of stops and went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe to hold off the Owls, 84-76.
UP NEXT
The Owls return home to the KSU Convocation Center for a Black Out against No. 25 FGCU Thursday 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.
