By Mason Wittner, Staff Writer
Karly Frye’s three-point field goal attempt ricocheted off the front of the rim and a Jacksonville defender snagged the rebound as time expired and Kennesaw State fell 55-54 in the opening round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament Friday.
The Owls (17-13, 6-8) trailed 54-37 with 8:05 remaining in the second half after surrendering a 19-3 run over the span of seven minutes. Aaeron Smith knocked down a three triggering an astounding 16-0 run to cut the KSU deficit to 54-53 at the 1:11 mark.
Despite shooting 9-12 from the free throw line in the second half, the Owls fell short at a crucial moment as senior Kristina Wells missed the back end of two-shot foul and KSU trailed 55-54 with 0:27 remaining.
Jacksonville’s Ladeyah Forte drew a foul with 0:23 to play and missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Owls retained possession at the 0:21 mark as Smith battled for a fifty-fifty ball and forced a jump ball with the possession arrow in favor of KSU.
“I thought we had a heck of a first half and then the second half we had a lull, but I was proud of our effort and how we fought back,” KSU head coach Nitra Perry told KSUOwls.com. “When I look at the game, free throws were key. We still had an opportunity to have won the game if we made our free throws, but I am proud of and I just hate the season had to end that way.”
The loss brings the end of an historic season for the Owls as they posted the most wins in the Division I era. They finished tied for fourth in the A-Sun going 6-8 in conference play, their best mark since 2011-12.
2015 A-Sun Newcomer of the Year, Jasmine McAllister, registered her league-leading 15th double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 boards. Wells picked up her eighth double-double up the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Smith was also in double figures, adding 15 points.
“It was fitting for Kristina to end her career with another double-double,” Perry told KSUOwls.com. “She did an excellent job. She played like you want a senior to play. To me, she was what an A-Sun senior should look like.”
The Owls fell behind early, facing a 10-4 deficit with 15:49 left to play in the opening half. Frye gave KSU their first lead of the game with a three-point field goal to put the Owls up 15-14 at the 9:51 mark.
KSU built up a 21-16 lead with 8:21 to go, which would prove to be their largest of the game. They bent but never broke for the remaining eight minutes, taking a 29-27 lead into the locker room at the half.
Jacksonville’s halftime adjustments proved to be effective as the Dolphins opened the second half with a detrimental 27-10 run.
