HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — No. 9 seed Kennesaw State women's basketball's season came to an end with a 66-47 loss to No. 8 seed Delaware at the 2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship first round on Tuesday afternoon at Propst Arena.
The Owls shot 32% from the field to the Fightin' Blue Hens 43. While outrebounding UD 38-37, KSU fell short in paint scoring (26-36) and second-chance points (6-12). In an 18-point loss, 21 Blue Hen points came on 19 Owl turnovers.
TaTianna Stovall and
Shania Nichols led KSU in scoring with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Stovall's 17 points came on 8-of-13 from the field with four rebounds and a career-high five steals.
First Half
Both teams struggled offensively to start the game, with KSU shooting 4-of-19 and UD 4-of-14 in the first quarter. An 8-2 Blue Hen run put the Owls down 10-5 before Stovall sparked the offense with consecutive buckets in the paint. Stovall scored six of the Owls' first nine. KSU's defense, however, started strong, led by
Latazia Williamson's three first-quarter blocks.
The Owls and Blue Hens went back and forth in the second quarter, with neither team leading by more than three. Williamson and Stovall recorded two more buckets in the paint while
Trynce Taylor hit KSU's last two field goals of the half, including a fastbreak lay-in off a
Kaelyn Flowers steal.
UD took a narrow 26-23 lead into the half, though KSU held a 32-29% shooting advantage. The Owls and Blue Hens were deadlocked at the break in rebounds (21), points in the paint (12) and steals (6).
Second Half
UD used two runs of 9-0 and 11-0 to pull away from the Owls with a 22-4 third quarter. After trailing by a game-high 24 with 6:43 to play, KSU cut into the deficit with 3-pointers from
Gabriela Bendeck-Giron and
Shania Nichols, as well as six more points from Stovall.
Game Notes
- With five steals on Tuesday, Stovall finishes her true freshman season having tallied 36 steals and 46 blocks. KSU leads CUSA and is ranked top 10 nationally, with seven players recording at least 25 steals this season. That is also a program record in the Owls' Division I era (2005-pres.).
- Williamson's three blocks give her 37 for the season, tied for fifth at KSU in a DI season. Stovall and Williamson's 83 combined blocks are the most in a season by two players in program history.
Head Coach Octavia Blue Postgame
On the opportunity to play in the CUSA Tournament
"First of all, we're really excited that we were able to make it here to this tournament. We understood that it was coming right down to the wire. We had to win some tough games late in the season in order to be here."
On the team's performance versus Delaware
"I think this team played as hard as we could with what we had. We have been plagued with injuries. We have stepped up through different times through the course of the season. Unfortunately, we didn't have it today. I think we played to the best of our ability. Credit to Delaware for an amazing effort. I think they shot the ball well. I think they had a really good gameplan. They stuck to their 3-2. I thought we got some good looks in it, but we've got to knock those down. We have a young team. We had some young players out there today, and I think they got some good experience and I look forward to us making some noise in the future in this tournament."
Gallery: (3-10-2026) WBB vs. Delaware CUSA First Round
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.
