Several Owls huddle near the basket against Shorter. Photo Courtesy of KSU Athletics
Kennesaw State women’s basketball began its season Tuesday night with an 85-36 domination of Shorter at VyStar Arena.
After opening the game on a 14-3 run, the Owls never looked back.
KSU was 56% from the field in the first half and 83% on three-point attempts, taking a 38-21 lead to the locker room.
Kailyn Fields was the leading scorer in the half for the Owls, finishing the period with 11 points.
The second half saw KSU taking the energy they displayed in the first half and building on it, exploding for 34 points in the third quarter to outscore the Hawks 34-9 in the period.
“I told them to make sure we made a statement in the first five minutes,” coach Octavia Blue said. “Understanding we were just holding on to a thin lead from our perspective, and either we go up 10 or we allow them to cut it to 10.”
This game was decided by a couple of dominant stretches by the Owls, who ended the first half on a 13-5 run before opening the second half with 16 unanswered points.
The Owls slowed down their scoring a bit in the fourth quarter, but still outscored Shorter 47-15 in the second half.
KSU introduced eight new faces this offseason including six transfers and two freshmen.
“I think [the newcomers] responded,” Blue said. “We had a great shootaround, and typically when we’re focused for shootaround, we have a good game.”
IU Indianapolis transfer Shania Nichols undoubtedly made the biggest splash for the newcomers on Tuesday, finishing 20 points while shooting 6-for-9 from three point range.
Kaelyn Flowers, a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, made an appearance in the starting lineup on Tuesday, putting up eight points and seven assists in her first game as an Owl.
Freshmen TaTianna Stovall and Madyson Elliott were both able to add their names to the scorer’s book, with Stovall finishing with five points and Elliott scoring four.
Trynce Taylor, returning from her lower body injury that caused her to miss all of last season, started on Tuesday for the Owls and finished with a total of 10 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes.
“It was great to see her out there,” Blue said. “It’s been a long year; obviously not ideal to be on the sideline nursing an injury, but I thought she looked great out there. She’s working her way back into form.”
Keyarah Berry put up 13 points in 13 minutes in her first game since learning that she was granted an extra year of eligibility.
Defensive effort was key for Tuesday’s opener for the Owls, who grabbed double-digit steals and only allowed 36 points in 40 minutes of action.
“That’s what we hang our hat on,” Blue said. “We’re going to pressure you, make you uncomfortable and make you play a little bit faster than you want to, get steals and turn them into layups on the other end.”
The Owls look to grab another non-conference victory when Florida Atlantic comes to town on Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.
