By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (9-12), (5-5)
at Liberty (14-7), (8-2)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. | Liberty Arena
Date: Feb. 4
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Live Stats |
Video
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball heads to Lynchburg, Va. to take on Liberty Saturday afternoon at Liberty Arena.
The Owls will be searching for their first win against the Flames in program history as Liberty holds an 8-0 advantage in the series. Last season, KSU took Liberty to the wire but fell 63-57 last season at the KSU Convocation Center.
Amani Johnson finished with 17 points and two assists,
Prencis Harden added a then career-best 13 points and two rebounds, while
Jah'Che Whitfield chipped in 10 points and seven boards in the contest.
Whitfield continues to establish herself as one of the best scorers in the ASUN Conference as the Sumter, S.C. native is sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game. Whitfield is also fresh off a career-high 27 points at Queens.
Whitfield, Harden and Jones Post Career Highs at Queens
Jah'Che Whitfield and
Prencis Harden both stepped up with a career-high in points. 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. Harden added 16 points and nine rebounds, both career-high marks.
Stacie Jones notched a double-double for the Owls with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high four blocks to lead Kennesaw State at Queens on Thursday.
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 40th overall in the NCAA in free throw attempts, averaging 20.48.
Crashing the Glass
KSU's offensive rebounding has been a staple all season. The Owls lead the ASUN and are 52nd in the nation in offensive rebounds per game, with 14.0. KSU has pulled down 56 offensive rebounds in its last three games, including 18 Thursday night at Queens. Kennesaw State has at least 11 offensive rebounds in 16 of 21 games this season.
Block Party
Standing 5'8,
Carly Hooks has been a catalyst on defense all season disrupting opposing offenses in a multitude of ways. The guard leads the team with 14 blocks on the season and is second on the squad with 29 steals. In addition to her stellar offense, the Atlanta native has scored 15 or more points in four of the last seven games, including a career-high 21 points in a 71-52 win at Lipscomb.
Whitfield Leading Owls in Multiple Categories
Jah'Che Whitfield leads the Owls in scoring (14.0), rebounding (5.7), defensive rebounds (92), made field goals (108), field goals attempted (255), free throws made (61) and free throws attempted (91). The graduate senior ranks 6th in the ASUN in points per game (14.0) and 14th in rebounds (5.6).
Owls Off to Best Start in ASUN Play Since 2016-17
After a grueling non-conference slate that featured three games against Power-5 opponents, KSU has won eight of its past 12 games. The 5-5 start under second-year coach, Octavia Blue is the best start for the Owls in the ASUN since the 2016-17 season when the Owls finished 8-6 in conference play. Kennesaw State has already matched last season's win totals in overall wins and conference wins with 8 games left in the regular 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 (1,553), assists (586), field goals made (571), field goals attempted (1,531), minutes played (4,823) and steals (242). Johnson's 4.8 assists per game rank third in the ASUN.
Owls Flying High
Kennesaw State is 8-6 over its last 14 games, which included a three-game winning streak for the first time since early February last year. The Owls took down Bellarmine on the road, Central Arkansas and North Florida from Feb. 5th through Feb. 12th a season ago. This season KSU posted another three-game winning streak with wins coming against Austin Peay at home and wins on the road at Bellarmine and Lipscomb.
Defense is Key
The KSU defense drives the success of the team this season and the Owls are 8-3 when holding their opponent below 40 percent shooting from the field. The KSU defense has held opponents below 65 points in seven of the past nine contests and held four of those opponents to 57 points or fewer. Kennesaw State is 5-1 this season when limiting opponents under 60 points.
Scouting Liberty
The Lady Flames have won each of their last two home games in overtime, extending their winning streaks to six in a row overall and eight straight at Liberty Arena. Seven of the nine meetings against the Flames have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Mya Berkman ranks No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage (71.3) and is shooting 73.3 percent for her career against KSU. She tallied 23 points during Thursday's win over Jacksonville State, including the game-tying hoop with 11.6 seconds left in regulation and eight more tallies in OT. She will tie Bridgette Rettstatt's Liberty career games played record with her 143rd appearance on Saturday. Reigning ASUN Player of the Week Emma Hess has hit 13 three-pointers in the last three games, including one on the opening possession of OT against Jacksonville State which put Liberty in front for good. She needs three triples to join Liberty's career top 20 list.
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.
