DeLAND, Fla. - A dominant outing from senior captain
Carly Hooks led Kennesaw State's (8-9, 4-0 Atlantic Sun Conference) 63-48 soar over Stetson (7-11, 2-2 ASUN) Thursday at the J. Ollie Edmunds Center.
The victory cemented a new Atlantic Sun regular season win record for the Owls at six games and extended Kennesaw State's best start to the ASUN schedule in program history at 4-0.
Hooks set new career highs for points (31) and rebounds (14) in her second double-double of the season. KSU is now 2-0 all-time when she reaches a double-double.
"It was a monstrous performance from Carly," head coach
Octavia Blue said. "She took over the game from beginning to end. The last two games she has put together a string of mature decisions and has came through for us on the offensive end. She's really taken advantage of the opportunities she's had."
Fellow captain
Prencis Harden joined her in the double-double category with 13 points and 14 rebounds for her ASUN-leading fifth double-double of the season. It was her 10th-straight game with double-digit points and 12th in the last 13 games.
"I want to speak to the credit of the players and our staff," Blue said of the achievements. "They're buying in to what we're selling and my staff is doing a phenomenal job of implementing the vision. We love the records but we're full speed ahead and taking it one game at a time."
"I'm glad for our players," Blue added. "They deserve it. They worked extremely hard to prepare themselves for the moments and the victories they've gotten to this point."
Thursday secured KSU's first two-game win streak over Stetson since 2007-08 and was the fourth consecutive win over the Hatters in DeLand.
"We spoke about who we are at home and who we are on the road and we had to answer that," Blue said. "Tonight was our first true road win this season and a perfect opportunity riding the momentum of starting 3-0 in conference and we're going to hang our hat on what we think has made us successful up to this point."
Despite trailing 30-23 at the half, the Black and Gold delivered an offensive surge in the final 20 minutes and outscored Stetson 40-18 en route to their eighth win on the season.
"We're going to hang our hat on our defense - they ingited our offense in the second half," Blue mentioned. "We put a focus on winning the 50/50 balls at halftime and the offense came as a result of the defense."
Hooks secured the first points for the Owls, following a three from Stetson that opened the contest. She led KSU with six first-quarter points.
Harden and Hooks each had three rebounds in the first period. Stetson entered the second leading 15-9.
Keyarah Berry gave the Owls momentum taking a steal down the court to open the second.
With 2:15 remaining in the half, Hooks recorded her seventh game with a double-figure point total this season and 19th of her KSU career.
The senior ended first 20 minutes with 14 points and four rebounds. Harden tallied seven points and eight boards. Her first-half rebound total tied her number from Saturday against Jacksonville. Stetson entered the halfway point up 30-23.
KSU went 5-for-5 on free throws in the first two quarters to Stetson's 54.5%. The Owls out-rebounded the Hatters, 19-16.
Hooks scored the first points for KSU in the period to cut the deficit to five, 30-25. A layup from
Trynce Taylor cut the Stetson lead further, 30-27.
A pair of made free throws by
Kayla Massop got the Owls within one with 6:31 left in the third, 33-32. Massop has seen increased playing time the past two contests and set a season-high with 26 minutes on the court Thursday.
"Kayla has been huge for us," Blue said of the graduate. "Her intensity on the defensive end and making hustle plays has helped us."
An 11-3 offensive run for the Owls capped off by a layup at the 5:33 mark from Hooks gave the Owls the lead for the first time in the game, 34-33.
"This team has really bought-in to our defensive philosophy, they're believing in our concepts and playing for one another," Blue said postgame. "I love the connectivity of our group."
She added two more free throws with 4:05 left in the third to have her fourth 20-point game of the season and sixth of her Owl career.
On the first made three-pointer for KSU, Hooks tallied her career-high 25th point to put the Owls up 41-36.
Back-to-back layups from Harden and Massop gave the Black and Gold a 45-38 lead going into the fourth. KSU outscored Stetson 22-8 in the third.
Harden's layup gave her a fifth double-double of the season and sixth of her career. It also marked her 12th game in double figures this season.
Five points from
Laura Toffali in a 21-second span gave the Owls their largest lead of the game at that point with 7:19 left, 52-43.
"Laura has been so solid," Blue said. "She's been a threat from the three-point line and has hit those shots but defensively as well in gaps and getting steals."
"Kayla and Laura have allowed us to extend our bench and helped us have this success," Blue explained.
Another run for the offense, this one at 12-2, put KSU up 57-45 with under four minutes left in the game.
The Owl defense continued to lock down the Hatter offense in the final minutes, allowing only one more point to deliver the 63-48 victory.
Eight wins thru Jan. 18 is the most for KSU in a single season since 2019-20.
Kennesaw State's is back on the court in Fort Myers, Fla. against FGCU Saturday, Jan. 20. KSU returns to the Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 27 for Pink Day against Central Arkansas at 2:00 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets
here.
