Score: Kennesaw State 82, Jacksonville State 73
Records: No. 7 Kennesaw State (15-15, 10-8), No. 8 Jacksonville State (16-14, 9-9)
Key Players: Jah'Che Whitfield (25 pts, 9-16 FGs, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl); Stacie Jones (17 pts, 9 rebs, 1 blk); Prencis Harden (16 pts, 7-8 FGs, 9 rebs); Amani Johnson (11 pts, 8 asts, 3 rebs, 2 asts)
THE STORYLINE
In a game featuring 14 lead changes and eight ties, Kennesaw State pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Jacksonville State 82-73 Saturday afternoon at Liberty Arena. Kennesaw State got its fourth win in ASUN Tournament history and its first since a 67-59 win over Stetson in 2019. The 82 points were the second-most for Kennesaw State in tournament history, just trailing the 86 points the Owls scored against Liberty in 2020. The Owls advance to the ASUN Quarterfinals to take on No. 2 seed Liberty tomorrow and have the opportunity to win two games in the ASUN Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.
Jah'Che Whitfield was magnificent on Saturday, scoring a game-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting and scoring eight of Kennesaw State's final 14 points in the third quarter to put the Owls in front for good. Stacie Jones finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Prencis Harden tied a career-high with 16 points and nine boards. While Amani Johnson facilitated the offense at the point guard spot, scoring 11 points and tying a Liberty Arena record with eight assists.
No. 7 Kennesaw State faces No. 2 Liberty tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Lynchburg, Va. at Liberty Arena with a chance to advance to the ASUN Semifinals.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On the win over Jacksonville State and turning the culture around in year two…
"I'm just so excited about the way we approached the game. I could look into the eyes of our players right before the game and see that they really wanted this. We've been through a ton this season, a lot of ups, a lot of downs, that have prepared us for this moment. I think our ladies were ready to step up today and they did."
On the team's performance…
"It was important that we stepped up defensively. We gave up 43 points in the first half, which I think is a lot. We kept fouling them on the penetration and putting them on the line. I think they went to the line 13 times in the first half, and we gave up 43 points. Jacksonville State is a team that averages 62 points per game, so we needed to do a better job defending. I thought we stepped up and did that. We outscored them in both the third and fourth quarter and we were able to close out the game with our defense."
On Jah'Che Whitfield…
"Jah'Che has been steady all season and today she just took it to another level. I'll go ahead and say it, Jah'Che is a top-three player in our conference. She got second-team all-conference, but I think she's a first-teamer. We rode her back for a while when I saw that she was hot, and I kept calling for her and she came through every single time. I was really happy for her."
On Prencis Harden and Stacie Jones…
"They were great for us in the paint. Stacie Jones was great. She was very active, which enabled her to go ahead and get Kennedy Gavin in some foul trouble early. Prencis Harden was 7-for-8 from the field and they both were one rebound away from a double-double. I was really happy with our frontcourt and how they performed today."
On clutch free throw shooting in March…
"Shooting 87 percent from the free throw line was huge and was something I harped on all season. We needed to improve, we weren't shooting free throws very well early in the season and that is what it comes down to in March. You have to be able to hit shots, especially if you are coming from behind and making them with the clock stopped. Today was just an indication of the work that we have been putting in, practicing free throws in practice."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Whitfield opened the scoring with a pull-up jumper off a Jones assist on the opening possession. The Owls forced three turnovers on Jacksonville State's first seven possessions to take an early 6-4 lead.
The Gamecocks answered with a 12-2 run and back-to-back triples to take a 16-8 advantage with 4:30 left in the first quarter.
The Owls quickly responded by hitting three straight three-pointers on the next three possessions with two from Lyndsey Whilby and one from Johnson to go back in front, 17-16.
Jacksonville State rattled off seven points, but Johnson closed out the quarter with a nice pick-and-roll finish at the rim to cut it to 23-21 after one.
Kennesaw State attacked the Jax State defense early and often in the second quarter and went on a 9-0 run, going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to take the lead, 32-28 at the 6:57 mark. Jones and Harden hit highlight-type fadeaways during the stretch on back-to-back possessions.
JSU closed out the half on a 15-8 run behind seven points from Imari Martin to take a 43-40 lead into the break. The Gamecocks shot 57 percent from the field in the first half, but KSU's defensive pressure created 12 turnovers and the Owls finished the half 13-of-14 from the free throw line.
KSU came out of halftime firing, scoring the first five points to take a 45-43 lead but Jacksonville State answered back by taking a five-point lead, 54-49 at the 4:36 mark.
Whitfield caught fire over the final four minutes of the third quarter by scoring eight of KSU's final 14 points of the quarter to give the Owls a 63-60 lead into the fourth.
The Owls stretched their lead to nine, 70-61 midway through the final quarter after a basket from Jones and another pull-up jumper from Whitfield.
Harden and Carly Hooks gave the Owls their biggest lead of the day after a pair of baskets put KSU up 12, 77-65, with 2:29 remaining in the game.
The Gamecocks knocked down a couple of threes late but never threatened any further, and the Owls secured the 82-73 win to advance to the ASUN Quarterfinals.
UP NEXT
The Owls will take on No. 2 seed Liberty Sunday at 4 p.m. (ET) in Lynchburg, Va. at Liberty Arena.
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.
