By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (13-15), (9-8)
vs. Queens (8-20), (3-14)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | KSU Convocation Center
Date: March 1
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball takes on Queens in the regular season finale Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls are coming off a 70-57 win over Stetson and improved to 9-8 in ASUN Conference play, a feat that hasn't been done since the 2008-09 team finished with 11 conference wins. KSU is currently tied with North Alabama for sixth in the conference standings and sits one game back of fifth with EKU with one game left in the regular season.
Kennesaw State and Queens met for the first time in program history earlier this season, as the shorthanded Owls fell 79-75 on the road.
Jah'Che Whitfield finished the night with 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, surpassing her previous best of 23 points she registered at Eastern Kentucky earlier this season.
Prencis Harden added a career-best 16 points and nine rebounds.
Stacie Jones notched a double-double for the Owls with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high four blocks to lead Kennesaw State in the first matchup.
With a win on Wednesday, the 14 wins would be the most in a season for Kennesaw State since the 2014-15 team finished with a 17-13 record.
Putting the ASUN on Notice
KSU improved to 9-8 in ASUN Conference play after its win over Stetson on Saturday. 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. 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 Owls have posted two separate three-game winning streaks in conference action for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
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 11-4 this season when shooting at a 40-percent clip and is 11-4 when holding its opponent below the number. The Owls are also 12-6 this season when scoring at least 60 points.
Blue's Squad Surpasses Last Season's Win Totals
KSU already surpassed last year's overall and conference win totals by four games with a home game against Queens left on the regular season slate.
Amazing Amani Johnson
The graduate senior has rewritten the record books during her time at Kennesaw State and is the KSU DI all-time leader in scoring (1,631), assists (618), field goals made (599), field goals attempted (1,600), minutes played (5,089) and steals (250). Johnson leads the ASUN in minutes played (36.8) and is in the top four of the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), assists (133) and assists per game (4.8). Johnson scored a season-best 27 points (20 in the second half) in a 77-73 win over Bellarmine. Johnson's 133 assists currently rank second in the KSU Division I record books, only trailing the 137 assists that she set in 2018-19. She already holds the third-most (126), fourth-most (118) and seventh-most (104).
Hardly a Sweat
Harden has been on a roll over the past nine games. The Swainsboro, Ga. native has averaged 7.9 points and 8.0 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.
A Model of Consistency
Whitfield has been one of the ASUN's most prolific scorers and has averaged 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals in her last eight games and leads the Owls in scoring (14.1), rebounding (5.6), defensive rebounds (124), made field goals (143), field goals attempted (340), free throws made (88), steals (44) and free throws attempted (129). The graduate senior ranks 7th in the ASUN in points per game (14.1), 14th in rebounds (5.6) and has scored over 1,400 points in her career at Winthrop and KSU. The guard has been one of KSU's most consistent and productive players this season and has scored in double-figures in 19 of her last 22 contests and set a career-high with 27 points at Queens earlier in the month.
Owls Break Streak at Jacksonville
KSU allowed a season-low 47 points and just 15 second-half points in a 54-47 win at Jacksonville last Thursday. The win was Kennesaw's first win in Jacksonville in 11 years and was the first victory in the series since 2019. Whitfield and Hooks combined for 28 points as the Owls took down the Dolphins.
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 17 blocks on the season and is third on the squad with 34 steals. In addition to her stellar defense, the Atlanta native has scored 13 or more points in six of her last 11 games, including a career-high 21 points in a 71-52 win at Lipscomb and 20 points at UNF last Saturday.
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 53rd overall in the NCAA in free throw attempts, averaging 19.93.
Crashing the Glass
KSU's offensive rebounding has been a staple all season. The Owls lead the ASUN and are 69th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, with 13.0. Kennesaw State has at least 11 offensive rebounds in 19 of 28 games this season.
Scouting Queens
Queens averages 58.1 points per game while giving up 68.0 per contest. The Royals are led by Adia Brisker, Kasey Kidwell and Jordyn Weaver. Brisker averages a team-best 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds, Kidwell scores 11.3 points, with a team-high 50 assists and Weaver rounds out the top three in scoring, averaging 9.0 points and a team-best 6.8 boards per contest.
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.
