LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
Carly Hooks and
Prencis Harden combined for 50 points Thursday night to propel Kennesaw State (10-13, 6-4 Atlantic Sun Conference) past the Bellarmine Knights (7-15, 2-8 ASUN), 85-75, inside Freedom Hall.
KSU's offensive performance marked its highest-scoring game of the 2023-24 season and tied the highest-scoring ASUN Conference contest for the Owls under head coach
Octavia Blue (Queens on Mar. 3, 2023).
Thursday marked the highest-scoring road game in the Blue Era and the most scored by Kennesaw State on an opposing court since Mar. 7, 2020.
85 points are the second-most for KSU in a road Atlantic Sun victory in program history and most since 87 at Lipscomb on Feb. 18, 2006.
"I've seen it in our last few games," Blue explained about the offensive performance. "They're really working the ball, sharing the ball and believing in one another. We've seen night-in and night-out that different players are starting to step up for us."
The offensive surge allowed the Owls to hold the lead for over 30 minutes Thursday night.
Hooks recorded 30 points, the second 30-point game of her Owl career and ninth double-digit-scoring game of the season. She also posted six rebounds and four assists.
"It was an all-around performance," Blue said of the senior. "She kept herself composed and shot a high percentage but she had an overall great game. She looked for her teammates and was very efficient."
Harden added 10 rebounds to her 20 points to add to her ASUN-leading double-double total of 2023-24 - now at eight. Kennesaw State leads the conference with 12 double-doubles this season - tied for 10th-most in the KSU Division I era (since 2005-06).
"Inserting Prencis into the lineup - she didn't miss a beat," Blue added. "She's just a driving force for us and has been consistent all season."
The junior is now alone on the KSU DI career double-doubles list by a forward at sixth. She has nine as an Owl.
The Swainsboro, Ga. native has reached at least 10 points in 16 of her 21 games played this season, 14 in the last 15 and in four-straight contests.
Junior
Morgan Dillard joined the duo in double figures with 10 in addition to six boards.
Thursday marked her second-straight game with 10-or-more points and sixth this season. She added to KSU's second-straight game with three players posting at least 10 points.
"It's great to get that outing out of Morgan, nine from
Keyarah Berry off the bench and
Kailyn Fields who came into the game and hit big three when we needed it," Blue remarked. "These freshmen, including
Trynce Taylor, are just really growing up."
Taylor had a team-best eight rebounds against Bellarmine, her fifth game leading KSU in that category this season.
The Owls shot 51.9% on the evening including 42.9% from beyond the arc and an impressive 23-for-31 at the free throw line.
"Early in our non-conference schedule, we were shooting poorly from the free throw line so we made it our business and knew we had to get better," Blue said of KSU's 74.2% free throw percentage Thursday. "When we were up 11 with two minutes to go, Bellarmine tried to foul us early and hope that we missed them, but our players stepped up and hit the shots. I was really happy to seem them do that in those moments."
KSU commanded the paint, out-rebounding BU 49-28.
The victory gave the Owls six conference wins and 10 overall in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2015/16 and 2016/17 campaigns.
Dillard scored the opening points for either side to put KSU up, 2-0. She shot 2-for-3 in the first.
Fields drained the first trey of the evening for Kennesaw State to extend the advnatage to 9-5 following five-straight points for the Knights.
Harden led the team with eight points in the first 10 minutes and tied Taylor with three first-quarter boards.
KSU led 18-14 at the close of the first period.
Bellarmine took the lead for the first time with 9:12 left in the second but it was short lived due to a three from Hooks. She shot 52.9% from the floor against the Knights Thursday.
KSU followed that with three jumpers as the offensive back-and-forth continued into the second quarter media timeout, 27-25 in favor of the Owls.
The Knights went on an offensive spurt and took a 34-29 lead before Hooks drained another trey to bring Kennesaw State within two.
Harden added two made free throws to even the score and
Kayla Massop succeeded the baskets with a go-ahead jumper, 36-34.
The two ASUN squads were tied at 36 apiece going into the half. Hooks led KSU with 12 points and Harden with 10 boards.
Kennesaw State's 36 points in the first half tied their first half-best in Atlantic Sun play this season.
Hooks added to her night with the first Black and Gold points of the second half for her 14th.
Bellarmine retook the lead before Dillard's first trey of her collegiate career put the Owls back in front, 41-40.
Berry extended KSU's advantage to four, 46-42, on her second bucket of the evening. Taylor followed her with a pair of free throws to make it six - tying the largest lead of the night for KSU up to that point, 48-42.
After six-straight made free throws from the Owls, Hooks and Harden combined for seven points off field goals, putting the scoreboard at 61-59.
Fields capped off the period with a three, giving Kennesaw State a 64-59 lead going into the fourth. Hooks scored 13 in the third.
Harden scored the opening points in the final quarter. Her next basket came minutes later to keep the Owls in front, 70-63.
Bellarmine got within four, 72-68, before KSU went on a 5-2 run that ended with a Hooks layup.
The Knights sent the Black and Gold to the free throw line on multiple occasions in the final three minutes where the Owls added their final eight points and achieved their largest lead of the night, 85-74.
The home team managed only one more point and were outscored 21-16 in the fourth as Kennesaw State earned the 85-75 win.
KSU has now won each of the last four against the Knights.
The Black and Gold conclude their road trip Saturday, Feb. 10 in a 4:00 p.m. tip-off at Eastern Kentucky on ESPN+.
"It's always tough to have one day to prepare however I feel like our players have done a good job of locking-in mentally and understanding what we need to do to execute a gameplan," Blue explained. "We'll get in and watch film on EKU and make sure we present them with a great gameplan - I think they're locked in to be ready to execute Saturday."
The Owls return to the KSU Convocation Center Thursday, Feb. 15 against FGCU at 7:00 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets
here.
