Women’s basketball started the season 1-1 in their opening home stint, with a win over Life University and a loss to Utah Valley.
The season got off to a favorable start, with the Owls beating Life University 72-53 on Nov. 4. One of the key stats that led to that victory was the amount of points in the paint that the Owls scored, outgaining the Eagles 38-22 in that facet.
A few more important stats helped the Owls get the win in their season opener, including the production they were able to get outside of the starting lineup. Owls players who came off the bench accounted for 26 points, which is over a third of their points for the game.
Owls players were also able to make the most of their defensive plays, turning defense into offense, as they outscored the Eagles 21-12 when it comes to points scored off of turnovers.
Forwards Prencis Harden and Keiara Griffin led the way for the Owls, scoring 14 points and 13 points respectively in the win. Both players shot 70% or higher from the field for the game, with Griffin also going 3-4 from the free throw line.
Harden also led the Owls in rebounds, grabbing seven to go along with her team high in points.
With the win, the Owls improved to 4-0 in home opening games under head coach Octavia Blue.
In their second game of the season, the Owls lost to Utah Valley 64-61.
A fourth quarter rally saw the Owls come back from trailing with just two minutes left in the game, tying the game with just a few seconds left. However, a Utah Valley basket on an Owls’ shooting foul would give the Wolverines the final lead of the game, winning 64-61.
The Owls were led by guard Keyarah Berry who scored a game high 20 points. Griffin and Harden scored double digit points for the second game in a row, with 13 and 10 points respectively.
A few factors contributed to the Owls loss, including being outscored in the areas that propelled them to their win against the Eagles in their season opener.
In this game, the Owls were outscored in the paint 36-30, on fast break opportunities 14-10, on turnovers 24-17 and in bench points, 30-26.
The Owls also struggled from the free throw line, shooting 17-29 (58.6%) for the game.
The Owls’ next matchup will be on the road against Belmont University on Nov. 14, before coming back home for a matchup against Erskine College on Nov. 16.
KSU’s Conference USA opener will come when they face Jacksonville State on Jan. 4.
