Score: Kennesaw State 70, Eastern Kentucky 63
Records: Kennesaw State (10-13, 6-6), Eastern Kentucky (13-12, 6-6)
Key Players: Jah'Che Whitfield (17 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts, 3 stls); Lyndsey Whilby (15 pts, 6-of-8 FGs, 4 rebs, 1 stl); Prencis Harden (10 pts, 10 rebs); Amani Johnson (6 pts, 9 asts, 5 rebs, 1 stl)
THE STORYLINE
Jah'Che Whitfield scored 11 of her game-high 17 points and Prencis Harden registered her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds as Kennesaw State took down Eastern Kentucky 70-63 Thursday night at the KSU Convocation Center. The Owls knocked off EKU for the first time in four meetings and are now tied for fifth place with the Colonels in the ASUN Conference standings. KSU surpassed last year's overall wins and conference totals with six games still remaining in the regular season, with four of those coming at home. The Owls dominated the glass, outrebounding EKU 45-30 and outscoring the Colonels 12-1 in second-chance points, 29-13 in bench points and shot a blistering 63.6 percent from the field in the fourth quarter to pull away late. Lyndsey Whilby finished with 15 points, the most she has scored in a game since posting back-to-back 17-point performances at EKU and Austin Peay.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On rebounding the ball…
"It was a point of emphasis on the offensive end. We wanted to generate second chance opportunities and limit Eastern Kentucky to one-and-done. They take a shot and miss; we must get the rebound and that was big emphasis on the game tonight."
On doubling and limiting the ASUN's leading scorer to 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting…
"It was phenomenal, and I think (doubling) her was a big difference-maker tonight. We were on time when she was making a catch or making a move. But she's a great player and she's going to score the ball. I thought we made her make tough decisions to have to find her teammates and then we scrambled out of it."
On getting the win…
"It feels great but one thing I know about my team is that they are going to respond, especially here at home. We have a good crowd that cheers us on, it's loud in here, they get to sleep in their own beds and they really performed. They felt that we needed a win, and they made it happen. Plus, we can't let this team own us with them beating us three straight times."
On the bench scoring 29 points…
"Talking about another point of emphasis, that's another thing I told our team today in shootaround today. Our players that come off the bench must give us something. They can't be a negative and come in and foul and put the team on the line. So, today Keyarah Berry comes in and hits a huge three to end the third and that was huge and a big momentum boost for us. Bre'Lyn Snipes hits a corner three for another big shot for us. And then Lyndsey Whilby, who is coming off the bench, she's starting to find her rhythm again."
On Harden and Whitfield…
"Prencis Harden, what can I say about her, she just has really taken advantage of her opportunities and had a double-double tonight and Jah'Che Whitfield in the fourth quarter played great."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls sprinted out of the gates by going 7-for-9 from the floor to gain an early 14-10 advantage and KSU assisted on five of the six shots.
Harden led the Owls early on scoring six points and pulling down six rebounds in the first six minutes as Kennesaw State took a 19-15 lead into the second quarter.
Whilby and Amani Johnson scored on a pair of layups to push the KSU lead to 23-17 three minutes into the second frame.
Carly Hooks put a stop to EKU's 4-0 run by connecting on a pull-up jumper, pulled down a defensive rebound on the next possession and found Snipes in transition for an easy layup to go back up six, 27-21.
The Colonels scored seven straight points to take their first lead of the night, but the Owls responded right back with a Gabi Legister layup to retake the lead 29-28, with 1:45 left in the half.
Both teams traded three-point baskets over the final 44 seconds and Eastern Kentucky took a 33-32 lead into the break.
KSU opened the third quarter outscoring the Colonels 10-5 to extend its lead to 42-37 as four different Owls scored in the first three minutes.
EKU responded with a 9-4 run to cut Kennesaw State's lead to one, 46-45, with 4:47 to go in the third.
The Owls closed out the final three minutes on a 6-3 run, highlighted by Berry's buzzer-beater triple that rolled off the top of the glass into the net to put Kennesaw State up 52-48.
Whitfield took over in the fourth quarter scoring 11 of KSU's 17 fourth-quarter points to extend the lead to 60-52 with just under seven minutes on the clock. Whilby's second trey of the game put KSU in front by double-digits for the first time on the night, 65-55 with 4:15 to go.
Whitfield iced the game away on a corner triple off a nice assist from Stacie Jones as Kennesaw State took down EKU 70-63.
UP NEXT
KSU hosts Bellarmine for Pink Day/Alumni Day Saturday at 2 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.
