By: Joseph Hovey
Kennesaw State (5-3, 0-0 CUSA) at Georgia State (4-6, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Atlanta, GA | GSU Convocation Center
Sunday, Dec. 7 | 2 p.m.
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KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State women's basketball continues its non-conference slate with a short drive into Atlanta to face Georgia State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
I-75 Showdown
KSU and Georgia State meet for the 15
th time on Sunday and seventh in Atlanta. The Panthers lead the all-time series 10-4 though the Owls secured a 65-62 win in last season's meeting on Dec. 19, 2024. KSU seeks its second all-time road win in the series on Sunday as well as its first-ever string of consecutive wins over Georgia State.
Strong Start
In her fifth season at the helm of KSU women's basketball, head coach
Octavia Blue has the Owls (5-3) off to the best eight-game start of her tenure as well as the program's best record through eight games since the 2019-20 season. A win on Sunday would give the Owls their best nine-game start since going 7-2 in 2014-15.
Following a 79-65 setback at undefeated and 21
st-ranked (NET) Alabama on Dec. 1, KSU bounced back with an 81-37 win over Thomas (GA).
The Owls shot 48% from the field and 46% from distance while holding the Night Hawks to 26% shooting and empty from beyond the arc.
Gabriela Bendeck-Giron and
Kaelyn Flowers each recorded career-high scoring performances of 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Owl Offense
Four Owls are averaging north of seven points per game led by guard
Keyarah Berry's 16.5 on 48.6% shooting (fifth, CUSA). Berry has scored in double figures in each of the Owls' eight games including a season-high 25 points versus Florida Atlantic.
Shania Nichols (9.9),
Trynce Taylor (8.5) and
Kaelyn Flowers (7.8) round out KSU's top scoring options.
Nichols powers the team's 3-point shooting with 15 makes on 29 attempts (51.7%) in seven games played. Among players with a minimum of two 3-point makes per game, Nichols ranks seventh nationally in 3-point percentage. The junior guard from St. Paul, Minnesota made her first KSU career starts in games versus USC Upstate and at Alabama. Nichols averaged 19 points across both starts while shooting 68.8%.
Taylor (7.4) and Flowers (3.0) rank top-10 in the CUSA in rebounds and assists per game, respectively.
Berry Stingy
Berry's impact on offense doesn't fade on the other end of the floor as she boasts 3.1 steals per game, good for third in the CUSA and 30
th nationally. The KSU defense owns six top five statistical rankings in the CUSA, including first in rebounds allowed (30.6), second in scoring defense (56.4), third in rebound margin (6.5) and fourth in turnover margin (2.63).
Know the Foe
Eighth-season head coach Gene Hill's Georgia State team (4-6) is coming off a 99-46 setback at Miami on Dec. 7. The Panthers pushed Auburn to a four-point game (69-65) on the plains on Nov. 17 and have wins over Stony Brook, Samford and Wofford.
Georgia State was picked seventh of 14 in the Sun Belt preseason poll and is led by preseason All-Sun Belt second teamer Crystal Henderson. The Panther guard averages 16 points per game while shooting 40% from the field.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are available for the 2025-26 Kennesaw State women's basketball campaign. Click
here to secure your seat inside VyStar Arena and don't miss a second of the action!
The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
