By: Michael Pitts
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's basketball searches for its fifth home victory in its last six tries Saturday against the Liberty Flames inside the KSU Convocation Center.
The Black and Gold enter the contest coming off a clutch victory Thursday over FIU. Graduate
Carly Hooks drove into the paint with under 10 seconds left and made a three-point play to give the Owls a 53-50 advantage for its sixth Conference USA victory of the season. Senior
Keyarah Berry led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Senior
Prencis Harden is on the cusp of history this weekend, just one double-double away from breaking the Kennesaw State Division I single-season record. The Swainsboro, Ga. native currently has 15 this season, the most in CUSA.
Saturday marks the 13th all-time meeting between KSU and Liberty.
2024-25 is the Owls' first season as a member of CUSA.
Game Information
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (11-16, 6-10 CUSA) vs Liberty Flames (20-6, 13-2 CUSA)
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Kennesaw, Ga.
Arena: KSU Convocation Center
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KSU Game Notes |
Liberty Game Notes
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Notes to Know
- Kennesaw State has won four of its last five home games.
- KSU's 26.8% three-point defense is first in CUSA and currently is the best single-season three-point defense in program history.
- KSU (18) and Harden (15) lead CUSA in double-doubles.
- Harden also leads CUSA in 10-rebound games with 16.
This is Her Legacy
Prencis Harden is all over the record book for her KSU career and this 2024-25 campaign. The five-time CUSA Player of the Week is tied for the best single-season rebounding average in KSU DI history (10.6) and the second-best scoring average (15.6). On Feb. 20 at UTEP, she eclipsed 1,000 career points - all scored in an Owl uniform.
Entering Saturday's game, she is at the current spots in the KSU record book (all single-season marks are from 2024-25):
- Single-season defensive rebounds: 210 (1st)
- Single-season rebound average: 10.6 (1st)
- Single-season double-doubles: 15 (T-1st)
- Single-season scoring average 15.6 (2nd)
- Career double-doubles: 26 (3rd)
- Single-season rebounds; 286 (4th)
- Career rebounds: 720 (4th)
- Career defensive rebounds: 486 (4th)
- Career offensive rebounds: 234 (4th)
A Look at the First Half
KSU women's basketball's five non-conference wins were its most in a single season since the 2020-21 campaign and the most wins for the team entering Jan. 1 of a season since 2019-20. The Owls earned key victories at Chattanooga on Dec. 8 and at home against in-state foe Georgia State on Dec. 19.
Keyarah Berry earned the program's first Conference USA Player of the Week honor and was followed by
Prencis Harden almost a month later - who earned back-to-back honors.
Harden finished the non-conference schedule averaging one-tenths of a point shy of a double-double (17.0 PPG, 9.9 RPG). She had six double-doubles in the Owls' 11 games and led CUSA entering the conference schedule.
Executive Producers
Kennesaw State begins the new year returning 88.67% of its point production from last season, the second-most in CUSA behind former ASUN foe Liberty by just .05% (88.72%). KSU also returns 74.1% of its minutes-accounted-for, the third-most in CUSA behind Liberty (85.2%) and New Mexico State (77.5%).
KSU's nine returners are tied with NMSU and Liberty for the CUSA lead. The Black and Gold also bring back five student-athletes who accrued at least 10 starts last season - the second-most in the conference behind the Aggies (6).
Inside the Roster
Captains for 2024-25 include graduate guard
Carly Hooks and senior forward
Prencis Harden. Blue's fourth season at the helm sees nine returners on a roster loaded with experience in addition to four newcomers with just one true freshman.
Hooks and Harden join an impressive batch of returners that include
Keyarah Berry,
Morgan Dillard,
Kailyn Fields,
Lee Lee Willis,
Taylor Cullinan and
Sophia Rueppell.
Kennesaw State has six seniors/graduates on the team this season, the second-most in Conference USA.
Three of the four newcomers transferred in to KSU during the offseason with a combined 264 games played and 142 starts. A 2024 Academic All-American, Gaby Bendeck-Giron, transfers in averaging 14.4 points per game last season at Pensacola State while
Claire Davis joins the Black and Gold from Palm Beach Atlantic with eight games of 10+ points in 2023-24. True freshman and 6'6" center
Mame Kane comes from Dakar, Senegal, as the first KSU Division I women's basketball student-athlete from the country.
Pack the Convocation Center
Saturday's game against the Flames is the first of the final two home games for Kennesaw State inside the KSU Convocation Center. The Owls conclude the home schedule Saturday, March 8 vs. Jacksonville State. Fans can click
here to purchase tickets.
Click
here for more information. Admission is free for Kennesaw State University students to all 2024-25 home women's basketball games.
Stay updated with the action on the court for KSU women's basketball on X @KSUOwlsWBB, Instagram at @KSUOwlsWBB and on Facebook here.
