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Click to enlarge photos.By Adam Carrington
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer
KENNESAW - Poor first half shooting hurt Kennesaw State's chances for an upset over Jacksonville.
The Lady Owls battled back in the second half and put themselves in position to beat a Dolphins team that earned a vote last week in the USA Today/ESPN poll. But 19 percent shooting in the first was their undoing and had to settle for a 61-53 loss Monday night at the KSU Convocation Center.
"We came out a little bit tight because we wanted to win this badly," KSU coach Colby Tilley said. "A lot of our shots we took were good-looking shots. We played the second half like we wanted to play, but when you shoot 27 percent for the game, it's not going to win you many."
The Owls dropped to 7-8 overall and are tied for second with Belmont in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 2-1 record. Jacksonville, which is 14-3 overall, is tied for first with Gardner-Webb in the Atlantic Sun with a 4-0 record.
KSU, which was fourth in the Atlantic Sun with a 39.7 field goal percentage, had plenty of looks in the first half, but the shots were off the mark. The Owls missed their first six shot attempts before Britteny Henderson converted a layup 4 minutes into the game. Henderson went on to lead the Owls with 18 points.
The Atlantic Sun's leading scorer Ashley Williams took advantage of KSU's shooting woes by scoring 14 of her 20 points to lead the Dolphins in the first half. Virginia Gregoire was also in double figures for Jacksonville with 13 points and Regina Omoite added 10.
The Owls were already down by six points before Henderson put them on the board. They pulled within three points at the 12:56 mark when DeAndrea Bullock hit a layup, but Jacksonville never relinquished its lead. The Dolphins pushed their lead to 10 on a Williams layup and went into the locker room with a 29-19 cushion.
After Jacksonville took a 47-32 lead in the second half with 8:51 left, KSU got within striking range, thanks to Henderson and Nikki Gurley.
Gurley, who finished with 11 points for the Owls, sank a trey from the top of the key to cut Jacksonville's lead to 10, and a jumper by Henderson put KSU within single digits with 5:21 left. Then Ashley Johnson chipped in with a pair of free throws to pull within six.
"I though we were playing consistent defense the whole game, but Kennesaw was making shots on their part," Jacksonville coach Jill Dunn said.
The closest KSU ever got to Jacksonville was five points after Henderson converted a three-point play with 2:34 left, but the Owls were forced to foul afterwards. Even though KSU kept it close, the Dolphins made 11 of their next 12 free throws to preserve the lead and the victory.
"(Jacksonville) has a great team, and this is why they are picked to be the best team in the league," Tilley said.
acarrington@mdjonline.com
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