The Kennesaw State women’s basketball team won a 68-64 thriller on the road in Nashville against Lipscomb on Saturday night.
It helped the Owls secure the fifth seed in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament and completed the season sweep of Lipscomb.
It was a sloppy start for both teams with multiple turnovers plaguing offensive production. LU struck first after a missed three-pointer with a layup two minutes into the game.
Deandrea Sawyers scored the first KSU points on their next possession, which put her over 1,000 points for her career. She finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.
Coming into the game, KSU and LU were ranked atop the conference in three-pointers made and three-point percentage. Aareon Smith made the game’s first three-pointer with 2:47 left in the first quarter to give the Owls an 11-8 lead. The KSU defense game planned well for the Bisons’ three-point attack, forcing them away from the perimeter and into the paint. LU’s first 16 points came in the paint.
The shots from beyond the arc began to fall in the second quarter, as Owls’ guards Kelly Dulkoski and Smith connected on five consecutive three-pointers during a 15-4 run to end the first half. KSU led 33-25 at halftime.
“Overall I am happy about the defensive effort,” KSU head coach Nitra Perry said. “When you have a team that shoots 20 threes, you have to take something away and we played really great in the paint.”
It was a game of runs, as the Bisons began the second half on a large momentum-swinging run themselves, cutting the KSU lead to 33-32 in just two minutes. Owls’ leading scorer and rebounder Jasmine McAllister was quiet all night and didn’t score her first field goal until 4:59 left in the third quarter, giving KSU a 41-39 lead.
LU got hot from three-point range late in the third quarter, connecting on three straight from deep to go up 49-43 in less than 90 seconds. The Owls fought back with Smith hitting another one of her five three-pointers, cutting the Bison lead to 49-48 to end the third quarter. Smith finished the game with 15 points and was 5-7 from beyond the arc.
The lead changed right back to the Owls after three straight Sawyers’ scores to start the fourth quarter. KSU led 54-49 with 7:08 remaining. There was a season high 14 lead changes throughout the game.
LU guard Alex Banks all but secured a huge Bisons victory when she hit three consecutive three-pointers late in the fourth to give her team a 64-58 lead with 2:20 left. The Owls failed to score a field goal for over three minutes during the big run, but they did not give up.
KSU fought back with a Dulkoski three on their next possession, followed by a steal leading to a transition layup for McAllister that tied the game at 64. The Owls’ defense played inspired in the final minute forcing LU into low percentage shots.
“It really speaks on the toughness of our group,” Perry said. “To get hit and get back up, get hit and get back up again. I thought it really showed our character. We refused to lose tonight.”
KSU guard Karly Frye hit the go-ahead game-clinching jump shot with 18 seconds left, giving the Owls a 66-64 lead.
KSU ended the game on a 10-0 run in the final 1:50 to survive and escape Nashville, 68-64.
The Owls will take on Stetson in the quarterfinals of the A-Sun Conference Tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. KSU lost both regular season matchups with the Hatters by scores of 57-54 and 75-62, respectively.
“We just have to convert, take care of the ball and take what they give us,” Perry said about the upcoming game versus Stetson. “We missed 16 free throws the last time we played them and lost by 13.”
