KENNESAW, Ga. - A tenacious second-half rallying effort saw Kennesaw State women's basketball fall just short against the Liberty Flames, 71-69, Saturday afternoon inside the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls (11-17, 6-11 Conference USA) outscored the Flames (21-6, 14-2 CUSA) 40-32 in the second half and tied the game in the fourth at 61 and 69 before Liberty - losers of just two league games this season - scored the final bucket with less than a full second on the clock to gain the win.
Seniors
Prencis Harden (24) and
Carly Hooks (23) combined for 47 of the Owls' 69 points, a little over a month since the last time they both notched over 20 points (Jan. 23 vs. UTEP). Harden shot 10-for-16 from the floor and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Hooks went 8-for-13, half of her made shots coming from beyond the arc.
Lee Lee Willis led the team with four assists while
Keyarah Berry was also elite from the free throw line, going 6-for-6. Berry had 10 points for her 13th double-digit scoring game of 2024-25.
Kennesaw State outdid the Flames from the floor (49% to 39%), beyond the arc (45% to 39%) and from the charity stripe (84% to 55%).
FIRST HALF
Harden collected the game's opening points on a jumper. She scored the first four points for the Black and Gold Saturday before the Flames went on an 8-0 run. Four points from Hooks got Kennesaw State within six, 16-10, with over four minutes left in the period. The Flames led 16-12 at the end of the first.
Harden also scored the first points of the second quarter via free throws. The Flames went on another run before it was broken up by a Hooks trey to cut the Liberty lead to 30-21. Liberty added a trio of three's before KSU went on a 6-0 run to close out the half, getting to just down 10, 39-29, at the break.
Team captains Hooks and Harden led the team with 11 points in the first period.
SECOND HALF
Liberty scored the first points of the half before the Black and Gold erupted on a 9-0 run, all coming off the hands of Harden. Liberty answered with a jumper to make it 43-38 but then Hooks connected with a three of her own to cut the deficit to two, 43-41, just over three minutes into the third. A pair of
Keiara Griffin free throws evened the game at 43 with 6:08 on the clock.
Keyarah Berry and
Taylor Cullinan added some buckets along with a three-pointer from
Kailyn Fields towards the end of the third, getting the Owls back down four, 54-50. The road team held four-point lead going into the fourth. KSU outscored the Flames 21-15 in the third.
Two Berry free throws made it a two-point game, 54-52, to open the final frame. Liberty added more points before another Hooks trey cut it to 59-57. The Flames then got to 61 followed by buckets from Harden and Berry to even the game at 61 with 6:09 left. Down 69-64, Hooks sank another three to get back down two, 69-67, with under a minute in regulation. Hooks attempted a trey with six seconds left and was fouled. At the free throw line, she tied the game at 69 apiece. Liberty sank a basket with 0:00:04 on the clock for the win.
GAME NOTES
- KSU's surge in the third quarter included a 12-2 run over three minutes.
- Harden now has 446 points this season, good for fourth in KSU DI single-season history and 35 away from tying the KSU DI record of 481.
- Harden's 162 made field goals is also fourth in KSU DI single-season history, 16 away from tying the KSU DI record of 178.
- Hooks now has 867 points in her Owl career, 20 away from breaking into the top 10 in KSU DI history.
HEAD COACH OCTAVIA BLUE POSTGAME
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State wraps up its regular season inside the friendly confines of the KSU Convocation Center Saturday, March 8 against Jacksonville State. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets
here.
Admission is free for all Kennesaw State University students to all home women's basketball contests.
