By: Joseph Hovey
Middle Tennessee (5-7, 0-0 CUSA) at Kennesaw State (7-4, 0-0 CUSA)
Kennesaw, GA | VyStar Arena | Friday, Jan. 2 | 7 p.m.
KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State women's basketball begins Conference USA play as it hosts Middle Tennessee on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. at VyStar Arena.
STARTING STRONG
Following an 86-41 win over Life on Dec. 29, KSU concluded its non-conference slate at 7-4. The Owls' record is their best through 11 games and best in non-conference play both in head coach
Octavia Blue's tenure (2021-pres.) and since the 2014-15 season.
CUSA PRIMER
Entering its second season of CUSA competition, KSU was picked to finish in a tie for eighth with UTEP in the league's preseason poll. A season ago, the Owls finished in seventh with a 7-11 conference mark, and defeated No. 10-seed UTEP 71-63 in the first round of the CUSA Tournament before falling to No. 2-seed Middle Tennessee 73-46 in the quarterfinal.
KSU enters league play tied with Sam Houston and championship favorite Louisiana Tech for the second-best record in non-conference at 7-4. UTEP finished at 8-3.
NEW SUCCESS AND NEWCOMERS
KSU's newfound success can be traced to the key contributions of newcomers from both the transfer portal and high school ranks.
Guard
Shania Nichols, a transfer from IU Indianapolis, leads KSU and the nation in 3-point percentage (53.7). Nichols also leads the Owls in free throw percentage (84.6) and is second on the team in scoring (11.4 points per game) and field goal percentage (48.6) with starts in just four of 11 games. The junior is the only KSU player with three games of 20-plus points this season.
Sophomore guard
Kaelyn Flowers arrived in Kennesaw from Florida Gulf Coast in the offseason and quickly made an impact with a team-leading average of 2.9 assists with starts in each game.
TaTianna Stovall, a native of Cleveland, Tennessee, and product of Bradley Central High School, has started just two games but leads KSU in field goal percentage (55.0) and blocks per game (1.3). Stovall's six blocks in a 69-63 win at Georgia State on Dec. 16 are the most by any CUSA player this season. The true freshman meets conference play after registering her first career double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Life on Dec. 29.
Memphis transfer
Latazia Williamson has also fueled the Owl engine with 6.4 points per game on 40.6% shooting to go along with 4.1 rebounds.
BERRY BALLIN'
While each newcomer has provided key contributions, fifth-year senior
Keyarah Berry continues to spearhead KSU's offense.
Berry ranks fourth in the CUSA with a team-high 15 points per game. The Rockmart, Georgia, native also boasts top 5 spots in the league in field goals made (65), field goal percentage (46.8) and points scored (165).
Berry's 12 points versus Life gave her a 10
th double-figure scoring game this season and 39
th for her career. With her 177
th free throw make in an Owl uniform on Dec. 29, Berry surpassed Jasmine McAllister (2014-16) for eighth at KSU in Division I-era career free throws made.
Behind Berry and company, the Owls lead CUSA in field goal and 3-point percentage at 44.3% and 35.5%, respectively.
DEFENSIVE SUPERLATIVES
KSU's defensive efforts have yielded a unit leading CUSA in rebounds allowed (31.1), ranked second in blocks (3.73) and third in scoring (58.2). Stovall and Berry rank top 10 in the league in blocks and steals per game, respectively.
SECOND QUARTER KEY
Despite averaging a 15-15 tie at the end of first quarters this season, the Owls are making mid-game adjustments and outscoring opponents by a combined 44 points in the second quarter. KSU is 6-0 on the season when leading at the half and 39-12 in the Blue era with 12 consecutive wins dating back to Jan. 16 of last year.
THE PAINT AND FASTBREAK
The Owls have outscored opponents in the paint in 10 of 11 games and average 36.2 points per game for a +116 season advantage. KSU has also benefited from a 122-57 fastbreak advantage on 11.1 points per game.
OWLS-BLUE RAIDERS
KSU seeks its first-ever win over Middle Tennessee as the two teams tangle for the seventh time on Friday. The Owls dropped both regular season meetings a season ago and were eliminated by the Blue Raiders in the CUSA quarterfinal round.
KNOW THE FOE
MTSU is led by head coach Rick Insell in his 21
st season. The Blue Raiders were projected to finish third in the CUSA preseason poll.
At 5-7, the Blue Raiders are coming off a 46-45 win at Wichita State on Dec. 20 following two losses at Southern Indiana (76-59) and Auburn (68-52). Tennessee Tech is the common foe between KSU and MTSU. The Owls edged the Golden Eagles 61-60 on Nov. 15 while the Blue Raiders fell 63-54 on Nov. 11.
Freshman guard Blair Baugus leads MTSU with 12.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
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.
