KENNESAW, Ga. — Despite a tenacious defensive effort from start to finish, a short-handed Kennesaw State women's basketball squad fell short of an upset in a 63-59 loss to Conference USA leader Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon at VyStar Arena.
After trailing by 11 points in the third quarter, KSU fought back to tie the game at 51 with seven minutes remaining. The Owls' upset bid unraveled late as four of five possessions ended in turnovers. LA Tech put the game away with a minute to play on three free throws.
With just seven players available, KSU held the Lady Techsters to 34% from the field, their second-worst shooting performance of the season. Only No. 7 LSU on Dec. 13 has held the LA Tech offense in check to such a degree.
The Owls shot 44%, but a 3-of-14 showing from the 3-point line couldn't match the Lady Techsters' eight triples. KSU won the rebounding (35-34) and paint scoring (40-24) battles but allowed 19 LA Tech points on 22 turnovers.
First Half
The first quarter featured both teams playing with frenetic pace. KSU took advantage of the pace to score six of its 18 points in the period in the fastbreak.
After LA Tech took an early 8-4 lead,
Keyarah Berry sparked the Owl offense with a personal 6-0 run. Berry's signature baseline driving lay-in started the run, then came a jump-stop score before a fastbreak bucket squared the game 8-8. A
Kaelyn Flowers steal-and-score helped KSU end the period up 18-16.
The Lady Techster offense began to click in the second quarter, with five of their eight triples on the day coming in the period. Despite the LA Tech scoring barrage, KSU remained in striking distance with inside scores from
TaTianna Stovall,
Trynce Taylor and
Latazia Williamson.
Second Half
LA Tech turned a 37-30 halftime lead into a game-high lead of 43-32 halfway through the third. KSU climbed back into the game with second-chance scoring.
Madyson Elliott brought the Owls within two with a putback score. Flowers then drained a 3-pointer off an offensive board to put KSU in front 45-44 late in the third.
A 47-47 tie to start the fourth quarter turned into three minutes of both teams trading scores. Both defenses then clamped down, with neither team scoring for nearly three minutes midway through the fourth. The Owls' upset bid unraveled late as four of five possessions ended in turnovers. Berry hit a three to cut the deficit to 55-54, but LA Tech put the game away with a minute to play on three free throws.
Game Notes
- Williamson, Flowers and Taylor each scored in double figures with 13, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
- Flowers tied a career high with six steals.
- Stovall nearly recorded her second-straight double-double. The freshman forward tallied nine points and nine rebounds, along with four blocks and three steals.
- Stovall is now the only CUSA player this season to record four or more blocks in three different games.
- Stovall's four blocks on Saturday give her 40 on the season, enough to surpass Sametria Gideon for fourth at KSU in Division I-era (2005-pres.) single-season swats.
- Six of the Owls' last seven games have been decided by single digits. Those games feature a combined 45 ties and 47 lead changes.
Head Coach Octavia Blue Postgame
On her team's performance versus Louisiana Tech
"I am proud of the way my team performed today. We were without our point guard [
Kailyn Fields]. We had more players in sweat suits than uniforms. We didn't make excuses, didn't fold and we battled against a really good Louisiana Tech team. We had some really good performances, but this was an overall team effort. I tell you what, if we get to [the Conference USA Tournament], I'm confident that this team, a healthy team, can make some noise."
On the impact of KSU's defense early in the game
"We had to be creative. We were short in numbers, so we came out in a zone. We wanted to make sure that zone felt like man with our intensity, our high hands and flying around. I think that made it difficult for Louisiana Tech and threw them off a little bit."
On forward TaTianna Stovall's performance
"I thought
TaTianna Stovall was really aggressive. She can be as good as she wants to be. You can see the talent is through the roof. She's really coming on strong here late in the season, and we need that production from her. I'm excited to see what her career ends up to be."
On her takeaways from today's game
"Even down in numbers, we battled. We need to take the momentum from this on the road next week to UTEP and New Mexico State."
Next Time Out
The Owls are on the road for a two-game trip out west with New Mexico State on Feb. 26 and UTEP on Feb. 28. Fans can tune in to both games on
ESPN+.
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.
