KENNESAW, Ga. - A second-half surge and impressive outings from
Prencis Harden and
Keiara Griffin saw Kennesaw State (1-0) soar to a season-opening defeat of Life (2-1), 72-53, Monday night inside the KSU Convocation Center.
The victory improved head coach
Octavia Blue to 4-0 in home openers at Kennesaw State and 8-1 inside the Convo against teams from the state of Georgia. KSU has now won eight-straight home openers.
The Black and Gold stymied the Eagle defense coming out of the locker room following the halfway mark, holding the in-state foe to just five points in the third quarter. The Owls set the tempo and remained consistent offensively throughout the night - shooting 44% from the floor.
Griffin, a graduate from Birmingham, Ala., shined in her debut with KSU, scoring 13 points on a 5-for-7 clip. Harden, one of nine returners on a veteran Owl roster, led the way with 14 points and seven rebounds in the opener.
Harden notched her 20th career game with double-digit points.
KSU also made six buckets from beyond the arc Monday night with three coming from senior
Taylor Cullinan. Cullinan posted a new career-best with four steals, the first game of her career with multiple takeaways.
Life only led for 0:33 of the entire game after making the opening bucket before the Owls got on the board and did not look back, cruising into the first win of the season.
2024-25 marks a new era for Kennesaw State as its first season as a member of Conference USA.
THE FIRST HALF
After the Eagles dished the first basket of the evening, Kennesaw State went on a ferocious 6-0 run that included four points from Griffin.
Gabriela Bendeck-Giron, making her first appearance in an Owl uniform, dishes a trey with 6:24 left in the opening frame to stall an Eagle rally and put the Owls back up, 9-6.
Following a layup from Harden to open the second period,
Carly Hooks delivered a trey to put Kennesaw State up, 24-20, with just above nine minutes left in the quarter. Griffin made a bucket in the early stages of the second quarter to reach double-digit points in her first night as an Owl. Kennesaw State held a 36-35 lead going into the break.
THE SECOND HALF
The Owls came out swinging to open the third quarter, scoring the first seven points to extend their lead to 43-35. Cullinan sank a three to increase the lead to 46-35, the longest KSU lead up to this point. KSU extended it to 48-35 on a pair of Bendeck-Giron free throws before Life collected its first points of the half with 3:56 left in the third frame, concluding a 12-0 KSU run. Life managed to secure five points in the frame but were answered with every basket, including an electric trey from Cullinan with under a minute left. Kennesaw State led 55-40 heading into the final 10.
Cullinan continued her hot streak entering the fourth with her third three-pointer of the night to put the Owls up by 16, 58-42. Harden entered double figures on a layup with around seven minutes left in the fourth. The senior then shot off eight-straight points followed by a trey from
Sophia Rueppell to push it to 69-44 - the largest lead for the Owls on the night.
True freshman center
Mame Kane finished out the scoring for the home team, posting her first collegiate points off a free throw and jumper to get KSU to 72-50. Life managed just three more points as the Owls took game one of their season, 72-53.
STAT OF THE GAME
Kennesaw State stormed out of the locker room on a 12-0 run to create separation from the Eagles and soar to a 1-0 start to the 2024-25 campaign. The defense matched the energy, allowing just five points from Life in the third quarter.
HEAD COACH OCTAVIA BLUE POSTGAME
COURTSIDE NOTES
- Griffin was making her first career start for the Black and Gold Monday night.
- Hooks provided an electric effort on defense, accruing four steals in the opening 20 minutes of action, tying her career-high.
- Hooks tallied her 20th game leading the Owls in assists. She tied for the team best with Kailyn Fields.
- Harden has now led KSU in scoring in 14 career games. It was her 19th game leading the team in boards.
The Black and Gold return to the hardwood Saturday, Nov. 9 for a CUSA/WAC Challenge game against Utah Valley. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets
here. Admission is free for KSU students to all 2024-25 women's basketball home games.
