MACON - It can be a long night when a team can't get its shots to fall, especially when its opponent is playing stellar defense.

For the Kennesaw State women, Wednesday's 65-47 loss to second-seeded Stetson in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament may be a difficult one to swallow.

That's because the seventh-seeded Lady Owls outplayed Stetson defensively on the perimeter, forcing 26 turnovers and totaling 15 steals.

But impressive defensive stats aren't going to help when the Lady Owls (9-20) shoot just 26 percent (16-for-61) from the field.

Sametria Gideon scored 13 points for Kennesaw State and shot 50 percent (6-for-12) from inside the paint, but the rest of the Lady Owls' shooters struggled.

"We just couldn't get going (Wednesday) from an offensive standpoint," Kennesaw State coach Colby Tilley said. "When we were open for shots, it was one of those nights where our shots wouldn't go and give us chance to stay close. When you shoot 26 percent from the floor, there are not going to be many nights when you win."

Angie Smith and Ashley Holliday, who each average double figures in scoring, shot poorly. Holliday was 1-for-11 from the field and settled for just one 3-pointer. Smith was 3-for-16 from the field and had just nine points.

With such a low shooting percentage, Kennesaw State couldn't keep up with a Stetson team that shot 51 percent (25-for-49) from the field.

Much of that had to do with Tierra Brown, who led the Hatters (18-12) with 25 points. She was 10-for-14 from the field and was a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Victoria McGowan added 12 points, Natasha Groboski had 11 and Sasha Sims had 10 for Stetson, which advanced to face either Campbell or Belmont in Friday's semifinal.

Kennesaw State never led Wednesday. The Lady Owls struggled with their shots from the start, while Brown was seemingly connecting on nearly every shot she took. She had just two missed shots in her first eight attempts and already had 14 points at the half.

The Lady Owls were already behind by double figures 6 minutes into the game after Stetson's Jessica Connor connected on a pair of free throws.

The Kennesaw State bench, with just three players dressed out, outscored the Stetson bench 15-7 and helped the Lady Owls pull within four with 6 minutes left to play. Chelcey Farrar and Elaina Gray hit layups to put Kennesaw State within single digits, and a Gray free throw cut the Stetson lead to 19-15.

After the Hatters went on a late first-half tear to go back in front by double figures, it appeared that Kennesaw State would go into the locker room with some momentum.

Christie Leverette swished a 3-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer to get the Lady Owls back into striking range at 30-21, but it didn't help.

"We were down by (13) and, when (Leverette) hit that shot at the end of the (half), I think it gave us a little energy boost there at the end," Gideon said. "We tried to come out and start things up, but we couldn't get it done (Wednesday)."

Kennesaw State's shooting woes continued into the second half, and three 3-pointers by Brown put the Hatters at a safe distance.