By: Joseph Hovey
Kennesaw State (11-11, 4-7 CUSA) at WKU (5-17, 1-10 CUSA)
Bowling Green, KY | E.A. Diddle Arena | Thursday, Feb. 12 | 12 p.m. EST
KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State women's basketball seeks a season sweep of WKU when it faces the Lady Toppers on the road on Feb. 12 at 12 p.m. EST.
STANDINGS STATUS
After splitting home games a week ago versus Delaware and Liberty, KSU is in ninth place in the Conference USA standings. The top 10 teams in the standings at regular season's end advance to the 2026 CUSA Tournament at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama.
WKU enters the week on a seven-game losing streak and in 12
th in the league standings. The Lady Toppers fell at FIU (54-80) on Feb. 5 and at Missouri State (52-75) on Feb. 7.
WKU ROUND TWO
KSU and WKU meet for just the fourth time on Thursday, with each coming as CUSA foes during this season and last. The Owls trail 1-2 in the series but defeated the Lady Toppers 78-64 in Kennesaw on Jan. 4.
Kailyn Fields scored a career-high 22 points with six 3-pointers and six assists in the 14-point win. KSU recorded a season-high 25 assists in the game, enough to tie the program's Division I-era single-game record. The Owls' second-highest scoring quarter of the season came against WKU with 31 points, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 11-of-13 field goals assisted, in the game's third quarter.
BERRY'S 1000
With 17 points versus Liberty,
Keyarah Berry sits at 997 for her career, positioning herself to surpass 1000 on Thursday. Berry appeared in three games at Indiana during the 2021-22 season, but all her career scoring has come as an Owl. With four makes on Thursday, Berry can also move into sixth at KSU in Division I-era (2005-pres.) career free throws made at 213.
The graduate student from Rockmart, Georgia, ranks second in CUSA, shooting 48% from the field and third in field goals made with 123. Her 14.3 points per game leads the Owls and ranks sixth in the league.
Berry's impact is also felt on the defensive end of the floor. Her four steals versus Liberty gave her a ninth game this season with three or more takeaways. Berry now ranks top 10 in the program's DI era in career steals as well.
FIELDS DELIVERS
Kailyn Fields tied a career-high with nine assists in Saturday's win over Liberty. Fields is now the only CUSA player with multiple games this season of nine or more assists. With 4.5 assists per game, Fields ranks second in CUSA and is on track to finish among the top 3 in program history in single-season assists average.
OWLS' INTERIOR DUO
KSU leads CUSA and ranks in the top 50 nationally in blocks per game with 4.3, good for 95 total. Forwards
TaTianna Stovall and
Latazia Williamson give the Owls a formidable interior defensive duo, with the two tallying 30 and 26 blocks, respectively, this season.
Just a freshman, Stovall has already tied Kristina Wells (2014-15) for eighth at KSU in DI-era single-season swats. Stovall and Williamson are trending to join Wells and Jasmine McAllister (2014-15) as just the second pair in program history to each record 30-plus blocks in a season.
6-0 WITH NICHOLS
In just her eighth start of the season,
Shania Nichols scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Owls past Liberty. KSU is 6-0 this season when Nichols leads the team in scoring. The junior from St. Paul, Minnesota, made her presence felt on both ends of the floor against the Lady Flames. Nichols complemented her 18 points with a block and steal as well as an offensive foul drawn immediately following her go-ahead 3-pointer with 57 seconds to play.
THE FASTBREAK
Pushing pace and scoring in transition are key to KSU's success. Against Liberty, the Owls recorded their fifth game with 20+ fastbreak points scored, finishing with a 21-0 advantage over the Lady Flames. The Owls are +100 this season in fastbreak scoring, and nine of their 11 wins have come when controlling the category.
TIGHTLY CONTESTED
Three consecutive KSU games have been decided by single digits, with Saturday's win giving it a 4-4 record on the season in such games. Each of the Owls' four single-digit wins has followed taking a lead into the fourth quarter. KSU is 10-0 this season with 14-straight wins dating back to January 25, 2025, when leading after three.
KNOW THE FOE
The Lady Toppers are led by eighth-year head coach Greg Collins. Forward Salma Khedr leads WKU with 10 points per game while guard Trinity Rowe averages 9.5.
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.
