Chris Raimondi—Sports Editor
Point guard Karly Frye made a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to help Kennesaw State women’s basketball keep their six game win streak alive when they topped Gardner Webb on Saturday in a thrilling 50-47 home victory.
KSU (9-2) put three players in double-figures as Kristina Wells scored 15 points, Deandrea Sawyers had 18 and Jasmine McAllister put in 10. The Owls and the Bulldogs were tightly matched all game with neither side grabbing more than a seven point lead throughout the game.
“It was a grind-it-out, smash mouth game,” KSU head coach Nitra Perry said. “That was by far the biggest team we have played, but not just big in every position, but they were very agile at every position.”
Gardner-Webb struck first after they jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the 16:38 mark. McAllister got the Owls on the board first with a layup in the paint and cut into the Bulldogs’ lead.
The Owls trailed most of the first half until inside of eight minutes before halftime when a Wells fast break layup gave KSU their first lead of the game at 13-12. From there each team battled back and forth with two lead changes and a tied score four different times before halftime.
The Owls were trailing by two with 26 seconds remaining when Wells scored a layup to tie the game and sent both teams into the locker room deadlocked.
The second half produced more of the same as both sides traded the lead nine times and were tied on eight separate occasions in the second half. The Owls shot under 30 percent in the second half but were able to get to the free throw line often, sinking 6-11, and out-rebounded the Bulldogs 28-19.
Gardner-Webb took a one point lead of 49-47 with 22 seconds left in regulation after a Candace Brown free throw. KSU made a substitution and inbounded the ball to Frye.
The junior transfer from Walters State dribbled the length of the floor to find a wide open shot and fired a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go. The basket dropped in and the Owls took a 49-47 lead. That would be Frye’s only points of the game.
“I was not shocked it was Karly Frye taking the shot, because she is very confident,” Perry said.
The Bulldogs missed a layup on their next possession and Wells grabbed the rebound and was quickly fouled.
After icing the game with a free throw with 3 seconds remaining, the Owls took the 50-47 win and extended their win-streak to six games. KSU is now 9-2 on the season and have their best start to a season since the 2000-01 campaign.
Next up the Lady Owls will take on Xavier Monday Dec. 22 at 12 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
