Kennesaw State Nips GS Women's Basketball, 60-58, In Overtime
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Kennesaw State women's basketball team edged host Georgia Southern, 60-58, in overtime on Friday morning in front of 2,123 at Hanner Fieldhouse as the Eagles hosted School Field Trip Day.
A raucous crowd of primarily elementary and middle school students watched the Owls (4-7) erase a 12-point third-quarter lead from the Eagles (3-6), force overtime, then score the final six points of extra period to take the win. Georgia Southern suffered its third loss in a row.
Georgia Southern led, 45-33, after a Rhein Beamon jumper with 2:26 left in the third quarter, but Kennesaw State closed the period and opened up the fourth quarter on a 13-1 run, tying the score at 46-all with 5:45 left in the fourth. The Eagles took a two-point lead, 54-52, with 25 seconds left on two free throws from Nakol Franks, but KSU's Kamiyah Street hit a floater in the lane with 16 seconds left to tie the game at 54-all and send it to overtime.
In the extra period, single free throws from Jakayvea Akins and Hailey Dias-Allen, combined with an athletic finger-roll basket from Dias-Allen staked the Eagles to a 58-54 lead with 3:37 left. Georgia Southern would go 0-for-4 from the field and commit four turnovers - three in the final 46 seconds - the rest of the period. Street's layup with 12 seconds left secured the lead for the Owls, then a free throw made the score 60-58. Alexis Foulks put up an off-balance three at the buzzer that rimmed out, giving KSU the victory.
"The biggest thing we are going to take away from this game is that we did not play with poise in the fourth quarter," Head Coach Kip Drown said. "We played like we were behind five or six points, instead of being up by three or four. We got out of control. This game is so much mental, everyone thinks about the physical part. But we have to grow, and learn how to finish games. All young teams need to learn how to do that."
Nakol Franks led the Eagles offensively with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, while also going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Sierra Butler added 10 points and seven rebounds in her first action in three weeks. Kennesaw State placed three players in double figures, led by double-doubles from Street (21 pts, 11 rbs) and Alexis Poole (13 pts, 11 rbs), while Carlotta Gianolla added 11 points.
As a team, the Eagles shot ust 28.8 percent from the floor (17-of-59) and hit six-of-27 three-pointers (22.2 percent) while hitting 18 of 24 free throws (75 percent). Kennesaw State shot 32.3 percent from the floor (20-of-62) and made just 2-of-16 three-pointers (12.5 percent) while knocking down 18-of-26 free throws (69.2 percent). The Owls won the rebounding battle, 46-44, and forced 24 turnovers by the Eagles, while committing 20 turnovers themselves.
The Eagles return to action on Monday, hosting IUPUI in a 6:30 p.m. non-conference contest at Hanner Fieldhouse.
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