Score: Kennesaw State 70, Stetson 57
Records: Kennesaw State (13-15, 9-8), Stetson (12-18, 6-11)
Key Players: Stacie Jones (19 pts, 7-9 FGs, 6 rebs, 2 blks); Jah'Che Whitfield (16 pts, 3 stls, 2 rebs, 2 asts, 1 blk); Carly Hooks (11 pts, 6 asts, 3 rebs, 1 blk); Amani Johnson (10 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts, 2 stls)
THE STORYLINE
Four Owls scored in double-figures and Kennesaw State shot a season-best 51.0 percent from the field in a 70-57 win against Stetson on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center. After taking the lead midway through the first quarter, Kennesaw State didn't look back and led the rest of the way. Stacie Jones scored a season-best 19 points, Jah'Che Whitfield registered 16, Carly Hooks added 11 and Amani Johnson finished with 10 to lead the Owl offense.
KSU improved to 9-8 in ASUN Conference play, the nine wins in conference action are the most since the 2008-09 team won 11 games and the eighth win at the KSU Convocation Center is the most victories at home since 2015-16. The win over Stetson was Kennesaw State's first home triumph in the series since 2018 and the Owls have now won four of the last eight meetings between the two schools.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On bouncing back from Thursday with a win…
"Well, we played a really good team, and it wasn't about the score, it was about how we played. We had to bounce back today, especially at home."
On the impact the seniors have made on this team…
"When you talk about those kids, Amani Johnson has been all-everything for us and Jah'Che Whitfield, who has really come into her own as well. Gabi Legister, Lyndsey Whilby and Gillian Piccolino have just made us become a better program this year."
On Stacie Jones performance today…
"I mean, wow. Stacie was phenomenal. She was confident, she was catching the ball down in the low post, she was hitting her shots and she was all over the glass."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stetson banked in a triple to kick off the scoring Saturday afternoon and Johnson answered immediately on the other end with a pull-up jumper at the top of the key.
Whitfield scored five straight points, including a three-point play after finishing through contact at the rim to give the Owls their first lead of the day, 7-5.
After Stetson tied the game up on a pair of free throws. Kennesaw State scored 10 of the next 12 points from four different Owls to push the lead to 17-9 with 1:55 left in the first quarter.
KSU held the Hatters to 3-for-13 shooting (23.1 percent) and forced seven turnovers in the first quarter and took a 17-11 advantage into the second.
The Owls opened the second quarter on a 9-4 run to build a double-digit lead, 26-15, at the 6:05 mark in the half.
Whitfield and Jones combined to score 10 of Kennesaw State's 17 points in the quarter as the Owls took a 34-24 lead into halftime.
KSU came out firing to start the second half, scoring on the first three possessions to build the lead up to 14, 41-27.
Stetson answered with a 6-1 run to cut into the KSU lead, but Keyarah Berry splashed a triple to stop the run to take a 13-point lead, 46-33, with 4:40 left in the third quarter.
The Hatters scored 13 of the next 16 points to pull back within three, 49-46, four minutes later.
Hooks raced down the court and hit a running jumper as time expired to give the Owls a 52-48 lead going into the final quarter.
The Owls began the fourth quarter by going on an 8-0 run over the first 4:25 to extend the lead back to 12, 60-48.
UP NEXT
The Owls close out the regular season with a home matchup against Queens Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
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.
