The Kennesaw State women’s basketball team’s offensive woes continued Saturday, as they dropped their second consecutive conference game.
It was the Owls’ (7-12, 2-2) 15th consecutive loss to the Stetson Hatters and their ninth straight loss to SU at the Convocation Center, dating all the way back to 2007.
It was a physical game from start to finish, and the Owls were hit with the turnover bug once again in the loss. KSU turned the ball over 17 times and was held to 38 percent shooting from the field.
Early on, the Owls struggled to get the ball to forward Jasmine McAllister down low, as SU played man defense and doubled her every time she touched the ball. The Hatters’ scrappy defense forced KSU into difficult, low-percentage shots, as they built up a 14-7 lead after the first quarter, led by guard Brianti Saunders.
Saunders, the Hatters’ court general and eighth all time leading scorer, single-handedly controlled the pace of the game in the first half and helped SU shred the Owls’ zone defense. Both teams severely struggled to make shots in the first half due to the high level of defensive intensity, as they were a combined 5-18 from beyond the arc.
“It was very frustrating,” KSU coach Nitra Perry said about the SU offenses’ zone penetration. “It was something that we worked on all week and the gameplan was to keep them out of the paint.”
KSU made some key defensive adjustments entering the second quarter switching back to a zone and began to frustrate Saunders. This led to two SU turnovers, and KSU guard Kelly Dulkoski sparked a huge 11-0 Owls run by hitting three consecutive three-pointers to give KSU their first lead at 19-18 with 5:46 remaining in the first half.
“I was very impressed,” Perry said about the team’s defensive intensity. “Iceis Walker was great tonight and I thought that she really changed the tempo of the game and we really need that kind of motor out there.”
SU then caught fire and ended the half on a 13-3 run to take a 31-24 lead into halftime.
The Hatters’ switch back to man defense to begin the third quarter completely disoriented the Owls, forcing seven KSU turnovers and building their lead to 48-33 to end the third quarter.
The KSU deficit increased to 17 before an inspired and relentless comeback began. The physicality and determination spiked through the roof, as the Owls stormed back to cut the massive Hatters’ lead to 57-54.
“I was very excited that they fought back and defensively got them rattled,” Perry said.
KSU guard Deandre Sawyers, who finished the game with 13 points and helped lead the comeback, made a clutch three-pointer with 45.2 seconds remaining that cut the deficit to three.
“We just have to fight, keep fighting and not give up,” Sawyers said about the comeback. “I feel like we fought pretty hard.”
Stetson had one more possession to put the game away, but the KSU defense stepped up once again and forced a missed jump shot. Players from both teams began tumbling and sacrificing their bodies for the loose ball off the miss, but McAllister ended up with it and passed it ahead to Dulkoski.
Dulkoski, who finished with a game-high 18 points, was able to get one final shot off, but just missed it off the back of the rim as the Owls fell 57-54 in a spirited bout.
“Kelly’s aggressiveness is very pivotal for our team,” Perry said. “When you have the range that she has, it really changes the game because she’s not just a shooter. She can get to the rim and handle the ball, so when she is aggressive, she gets more confident and the team gets more confident.”
McAllister led all players with 13 rebounds, but was harassed in the paint all game long and didn’t score a field goal until late in the final quarter. She finished with five points on 1-6 shooting from the field.
Owls guard Aareon Smith struggled to find her stroke from three again, but she contributed some clutch layups during the comeback. She finished the game with 12 points, a game-high six assists, and five rebounds.
This was the Owls’ second consecutive conference loss and they will attempt to regroup back to their winning ways on Tuesday night versus conference-leading Florida Gulf Coast.
