ATHENS, Ga. — Kennesaw State women's basketball suffered an 84-42 setback against Georgia on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
"Georgia is a strong, athletic team and we knew they would pressure and rebound well," said KSU head coach
Tianni Kelly. "We did a good job keeping them off the glass, unfortunately, we didn't do a good job managing their pressure. We have to be better offensively."
While the Owls outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 31-28, turnover trouble plagued the Owls throughout the game, with 33 turnovers leading to 48 Lady Bulldog points. KSU took the ball away nine times and scored seven resultant points.
Georgia also held advantages over the Owls in fast break (21-7) and paint scoring (44-6).
The Owls' 32% from the field was unable to keep pace with Georgia's 51%. KSU hit six of 19 3-point attempts and 16-of-22 from the free-throw line, while the Lady Bulldogs went 6-of-12 from beyond the arc and 16-of-25 from the foul line.
Riley Talbert led the Owls with nine points, including 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Talbert's Wednesday night scoring output ties a career high while her four free throw sets a new career high.
Arissa Jenkins recorded seven points, tied a career-high five boards and notched a career-high three steals.
Nyjae Malikali-El came off the bench late to score five points, including 3-of-4 free throws.
Emaya Lewis tallied a career-high four blocks. Wednesday's game also marked
Kayla Sullivan's first start as an Owl.
First Half
KSU forced turnovers on each of Georgia's first two possessions and added a third minutes later as Flowers disrupted a passing lane and took it to the tin for two and an early 5-4 Owl lead. A 4:16 scoring drought kept KSU at bay and down 15-8 to end the first quarter.
The Owls found some scoring in the second with a 4-of-7 mark from beyond the arc, with each shot falling from a different player. Jenkins dropped in the first trey followed by Nichols, Bershers and Talbert as KSU battled through a 7-0 Lady Bulldog scoring run to trail 41-22 at the break.
The Owls shot 6-of-15 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the first half. Georgia countered, shooting 16-of-31 and 7-of-10.
Second Half
The Lady Bulldogs sprinted out of the locker room with a 12-0 run over the third quarter's first 6:15. Sullivan snapped the scoring drought with a 3-pointer and Talbert added a pair of free throw makes, but the Owls went to the fourth trailing 65-27.
After a four-minute scoreless stretch to start the final period, Nichols buried a trey and Talbert finished at the rim on a drive to get the KSU offense going. Late in the game, freshman
Nyjae Malikali-El provided a spark off the bench. The Baltimore, Maryland native collected a loose ball off a Lewis block and raced down floor for the fast-break bucket, then drained three free throws in the game's closing minutes.
Next Time Out
KSU returns home to face South Alabama on Nov. 15. Watch the Owls take on the Jaguars on
ESPN+ or
join in Faith and Family Day at VyStar Arena with special ticket offers for church groups.
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The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax-deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.
