By: Joseph Hovey
No. 9 seed Kennesaw State (13-16, 6-12) vs. No. 8 seed Delaware (12-18, 6-12)
Huntsville, AL | Propst Arena | Tuesday, March 10 | 12:30 p.m. EDT
KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State women's basketball will face Delaware in the first round of the 2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama.
BRACKET SEASON
The Owls and Fightin' Blue Hens finished the regular season tied in the CUSA standings at 6-12. KSU earned the No. 9 and UD the No. 8 seed due to the Blue Hens owning the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Owls 65-60 in overtime on Feb. 5 in Kennesaw.
The winner of Tuesday morning's matchup moves on to face No. 1 seed Louisiana Tech on March 11 at 12:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN+.
DELAWARE ROUND TWO
KSU and UD will reprise one of the season's most exciting CUSA games in the tournament's first round.
The Owls and Blue Hens battled through one of the closest women's basketball games in CUSA history on Feb. 5. Since NCAA women's basketball moved to four-quarter games in the 2015-16 season, the KSU-UD clash was the first involving a CUSA team in which the game was tied at half, the end of the third quarter and the end of regulation.
In all, the game totaled 18 ties, nine lead changes and 10 minutes of tied game time. Neither team led by more than five at any point.
KSU led 58-56 before UD hit two overtime-forcing free throws with one second remaining in regulation. Both teams combined for two field goals in the extra period, but UD pulled away with five late free throws. KSU had a chance to send the game to double overtime with 24 seconds to play, but came up empty with a missed 3-pointer.
The Owls held advantages in shooting (40-32%) and rebounding (41-40), but the Blue Hens tilted the game in their favor with 17-of-24 to 10-of-22 free-throw shooting as well as 20 points on 22 KSU turnovers.
KSU & CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
KSU women's basketball makes its 17
th Division I conference tournament appearance this week, with Tuesday's contest its 22
nd DI postseason game.
The No. 7 seed Owls defeated the No. 10 seed UTEP 71-63 in the first round of their inaugural CUSA Tournament in 2025.
Keyarah Berry scored a team-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting to lead KSU past the Miners. The Owls were eliminated from the 2025 tourney by No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee in a 46-73 defeat.
20 & 17 FOR TAYLOR
While KSU was unable to complete a 13-point second-half comeback at Jax State on March 7, forward
Trynce Taylor enjoyed a career day with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Taylor's double-double was her second of the season and fourth of her career. Saturday at Jax State was the second time this season that Taylor has recorded 15 or more rebounds. With 17, Taylor set a new single-game high among KSU players in the
Octavia Blue era.
Taylor and Middle Tennessee's Blair Baugus are now tied for the most rebounds in a CUSA game this season.
TAZIA TOUGH
Latazia Williamson led the Owls in scoring at Jax State with a career-high 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Williamson now has three games of 20 or more points and 12 total double-figure-scoring games this season.
The junior from Nashville, Tennessee, has quickly grown into a vocal leader and consistent contributor for KSU after transferring from Memphis. Williamson's current average of 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds follows two seasons with the Tigers in which she averaged just one point and two rebounds in 33 games played.
SISTERS OF SWAT
Williamson and
TaTianna Stovall combine to give the Owls an imposing frontcourt presence, particularly on defense. With 46 and 34 blocks, respectively, Stovall and Williamson have become just the second tandem in KSU history to each surpass 30 swats in a season.
Both players rank top 10 in the program's Division I era (2005-pres.) in single-season swats, with Stovall just four rejections from breaking the record 49 set in 2023-24 by Kyndall Golden.
KNOW THE FOE
Fourth-year head coach Sarah Jenkins' UD squad is led by three players averaging double figures in center Ande'a Cherisier (12.7), along with guards Lay Fantroy (10.7) and Kailah Correa (10.3).
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.
