Records: Kennesaw State (5-12, 1-5), Jacksonville State (15-4, 6-1)
Key Players: Bre'Lyn Snipes (14 pts, 4 rebs); Alexis Poole (10 pts, 8 rebs); Jah'Che Whitfield (10 pts, 3 assts, 3 rebs)
THE STORYLINE
Bre'Lyn Snipes tied her career high in points with a 14-point effort in a game that the Owls led for 27:21, but an 8-0 run from the Gamecocks late in the fourth quarter made for a heartbreaking finish on Thursday evening in the Convocation Center.
COACH OCTAVIA BLUE QUOTES
On the team's performance…
"It was a gutsy performance today; I think we played really hard. We've got to hit free throws and that was the difference. We didn't shoot it well from the foul line, especially in the money time, but I loved the way we played today. We played hard; we played smart; we played together. Overall, I'm happy from the performance. We'll learn from this."
On the play of Whitfield and Snipes…
"We had our whole team here and that brings a lot. Bre'lyn [Snipes] has been missing for a while. Her ability to shoot the ball as well as run in transition gave us opportunities. Jah'Che [Whitfield] came up big and hit some big shots for us. Really happy with the team's performance but it's a tough loss for us. We've got to get better and I like where I'm going."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The matchup began with a back-and-forth tempo that lasted for all 40 minutes, starting with Alexis Poole answering a JSU jumper with a driving layup to tie the game at 2-2.
Heading into the first media timeout after a Gabi Legister hook shot, the Owls were up 10-6 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
Kennesaw State led 15-14 after the first 10 minutes, the fourth game in a row that the Owls have led after the first quarter.
The post players did a good job of playing their part at the beginning of the second quarter, with Legister and Poole scoring in the paint to extend the KSU advantage to 19-14.
Jacksonville State finally recaptured the lead at 30-29, but Ashley Free snatched it right back with a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer.
The buzzer would play a role once again at the end of the half, with Legister sending the teams to the locker room with a last-second layup; the Owls led the Gamecocks 34-33 as the teams headed into the tunnel.
The Owls would experience their best scoring run toward the end of the third quarter, with Snipes nailing a trey to cap a 7-0 spell and earn the hosts a 52-47 edge.
WIth the lead changing five times in the fourth quarter, both squads weren't going to give up before the final whistle.
Amani Johnson got her side out in front by four points by completing an and-one play off of a pull-up jumper from the top of the key.
As the game clock read 6:07, Snipes tied her career high at 14 points and took the lead back for Kennesaw State at 60-58.
The final media timeout came at the 3:41 mark with the Owls up 65-61, but a late surge from the visitors earned them their sixth conference win of the season.
With another conference faceoff in just two days, Blue and her team will attempt to shrug off a 71-68 loss to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
UP NEXT
The Owls celebrate Alumni Day with a 2 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, Jan. 29 against the North Alabama Lions.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsWBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
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