JACKSONVILLE, Ala. —
Trynce Taylor tallied a career-high 20 points and 17 rebounds as she helped Kennesaw State women's basketball rally from a 13-point second-half deficit before falling to Jax State in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Taylor's performance, combined with 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks from
Latazia Williamson, kept a short-handed KSU squad battling to the finish with the Gamecocks.
The Owl defense bolstered the comeback effort as it held Jax State scoreless over the final 5:28 of regulation and limited the home team to just one second-half 3-pointer after six in the first. The Gamecocks, however, found two more triples in their quiver in overtime. This, combined with four untimely turnovers, kept KSU from completing the comeback in the extra period.
First Half
Williamson and Taylor were quick to get on the board as KSU and Jax State traded scores in the early going. The Gamecocks went on a 15-4 run over the final four minutes of the quarter and threatened to lead by double digits going into the second. Taylor put back an errant 3-pointer to keep the Owls within eight, 23-15, at quarter's end.
Jax State led by as many as 11 in the second quarter until KSU responded with a 6-0 run midway through. Two free throws from Flowers bit into the Gamecock lead, while Taylor and Williamson scored on consecutive possessions to bring the Owls within five, 28-23. Williamson and
TaTianna Stovall added two more paint scores to keep KSU within striking distance, 35-27, at half.
The Owls shot 42% in the first half to Jax State's 41, but found themselves trailing after the Gamecocks hit six 3-pointers in the opening periods. Williamson and Taylor led KSU at the half with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Taylor cemented her double-double by halftime with 10 points and 10 boards over the first 20 minutes of play.
Second Half
Jax State used a 7-0 run to take a game-high 13-point, 44-31 lead midway through the third. While the Gamecocks threatened to distance the Owls with their double-digit cushion, Stovall made key plays to ensure KSU cut it to nine heading into the fourth. Stovall ended Jax State's 7-0 run with a 3-point play and ended the quarter for the Owls with a block on one end and a transition lay-in on the other.
KSU trailed 50-39 in the early stages of the fourth but rallied to force overtime with a 15-4 run of its own.
The Owls began to rediscover momentum as Flowers stole a Gamecock pass and pushed in transition, where
Madyson Elliott finished with a fastbreak bucket. Jax State answered and again led by 11 with 5:28 to play.
Williamson kept the KSU comeback alive on consecutive scoring possessions while Elliott trimmed the deficit to five with a pair of free throws. Taylor drained the Owls' only 3-pointer of the day to force a one-possession game, 54-52, with 1:41 on the clock.
Flowers wasted no time tying the game with two free throws made after being fouled on a shot attempt off an inbound steal. Williamson and Taylor scored early overtime buckets to keep KSU within a possession, but two dagger 3-pointers from the Gamecocks and four turnovers were enough to stave off the Owls' rally.
Game Notes
- KSU outshot Jax State 47-36% but was unable to counter the Gamecocks' nine 3-pointers.
- Twenty-two Owl turnovers resulted in 22 Jax State points. KSU collected 14 turnovers and converted them into 15 points.
- Taylor's 20 and 17 on Saturday gave her a second double-double of the season and fourth of her career. Taylor has surpassed the 15-board threshold twice this season.
- Stovall and Williamson each recorded three blocks. The tandem now ranks third and seventh, respectively, in KSU Division I-era (2005-pres.) single-season blocks.
- Eight of KSU's last 10 games have been decided by single digits. The Owls are now 6-7 in such games this season.
Head Coach Octavia Blue Postgame
On her team's performance at Jax State
"I'm super proud of our group. Obviously, we were undermanned, but we didn't make that an excuse. We got off to a slow start, but we battled through to force overtime. We just kept fighting and fighting, and gave ourselves a chance. I thought Latazia was very tough in the paint,
Trynce Taylor had a monster game and we had good contributions all around."
On her team's defensive performance
"We played zone for most of the time, and I thought Jax State struggled with that a little bit. We sped them up a little bit and had them miss some early shots, which we were able to rebound and get out in transition. That really helped us push the game to overtime."
On moving forward to conference tournament play
"This is definitely something to build on. There are a couple of things we can control better in late-game situations, like boxing out and more quickly finding the people we need to foul. The stakes are higher in the conference tournament because it's win or go home. We have to come in with toughness about ourselves. We can't look ahead. We can't look behind. We have to take it one game at a time and try to survive and advance.
Next Time Out
With the regular season wrapped up, KSU now prepares for the 2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama. The Owls will face Delaware in the tournament's first round on March 10 at 12:30 p.m. EDT 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.
