The Kennesaw State women’s basketball team stole a comeback win against North Florida on Feb. 12.
The Owls’ comeback was the perfect story to represent resilience on Pink Day, a night dedicated to breast cancer awareness. During the game, KSU acknowledged former head coach Agnus Berenato, who battled breast cancer during her tenure with the Owls.
Amani Johnson’s 18 points showed everyone that the Owls were not going down without a fight, as she led the women to a 63-57 come-from-behind victory over the University of North Florida after being down by 16 in the first half.
Head coach Octavia Blue said that Amani Johnson has “been like that for us all season” when the team needed her the most, calling Johnson a “mental extension” of her when she’s on the court for knowing what the team needs from her in a moment. Blue foresaw this comeback by saying that she “believed in our ability to win the game” after being down by 14.
After being down 33-19 at halftime, the Owls outscored UNF 44-24 in the second half. The defense stopped the Ospreys from easily moving the ball up the floor by bringing pressure quickly and often to force bad passes and mental mistakes.
The Owls were sluggish to start, with Jah’Che Whitfield scoring all four of KSU’s points in the first quarter before coming alive late in the second quarter and into the third. Along with Amani Johnson’s stellar performance, Bre’Lyn Snipes had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists on the afternoon.
UNF had multiple chances to cut it within a score late in the game, but the Owls defense forced quick shots that missed from deep to secure the win. KSU ended the game on a 12-4 run with massive, game-clinching free throws from Gillian Piccolino and Jah’Che Whitfield.
With this win, the Owls move to 9-13 on the year and 5-6 within the ASUN conference. The women next host the Jacksonville University Dolphins in Kennesaw.
